On October 5, the Mumbai Metro Rail authority began cutting trees in the Aarey colony, late in the night, after the HC dismissed the pleas of environmental activists and allowed for the felling of trees.
However, as per the guidelines, once an order is passed to fell trees, the permission has to be uploaded on the site and the felling can begin 15 days after that.
The illegal felling led to massive protests on the site, and many protestors were even arrested and detained. In fact, Section 144 was also imposed around the Aarey colony.
Consequently, petitions were filed on the apparently illegal felling of trees in the Aarey colony. Now, reportedly, the Supreme Court has ordered the Mumbai Metro Rail authorities to put a hold on cutting the trees till the hearing on October 21. A special bench of the SC also ordered for the release of protestors.
It is imperative to note that Aarey remains one of the city’s remaining ‘green patches’, and its destruction will be a huge blow to the environment.