Section 144 imposed as protests continue against felling of trees in Mumbai
The cutting of trees started on Friday after the Bombay High Court rejected all petitions opposing the felling of trees in Aarey Colony, a green area in Mumbai. Those opposing the felling alleged that the administration has started cutting down trees.
In view of the situation, Section 144 CrPC has been implemented in the area near the metro-rail project site in Aarey forests of Mumbai. Police said 38 protesters had been booked under various sections of the IPC since Friday night. Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi, who took part in the protests, was also detained.
Opposition parties targeted the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP alliance, saying they had failed to save the trees. At the same time, a case under sections 353, 332, 143 and 149 has been registered against at least 38 protesters arrested.
One worker said that there is heavy police deployment in the area. No one is allowed to enter Aarey Colony. Even tourists are being stopped. Priyanka Chaturvedi, deputy leader of the Shiv Sena, rushed to the protest site to support the protesters and join the protests, was promptly detained by the police after seeing the situation.
Following the Bombay High Court order, protests are being held last night in Aarey forests against the felling of trees. Others said that out of more than 2600 trees that have to be cut, 800 trees have been cut so far.
However, the protesters also reached there shortly and shouted slogans at the metro rail site. The video of cutting down trees went viral on social media, but officials of the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation have not yet confirmed that the felling of trees for the planned metro car shed has begun.
At the same time, Shiv Sena leader Aditya Thackeray has also opposed the cutting of forests. He tweeted that, ‘There is no point in the Central Government’s Ministry of Climate Change coming into existence or talking about plastic pollution when the area around Aarey Colony is being destroyed under the Mumbai Metro III. Making it a battle of arrogance by the metro is destroying the central government’s objective.
A large number of policemen have been deployed at the proposed car shed site, as hundreds of people had reached late Friday night to stop cutting trees. The Devendra Fadnavis government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation have also been condemned on this issue.
Aam Aadmi Party leader Preeti Menon Sharma said that cutting of trees is a violation of the election code in the assembly elections scheduled to be held on October 21.
