On Monday, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, on stressing the need for protecting the environment, said trees should be cut only when the development of a project gets stuck. Gadkari also said that a person should be made to plant 10 trees for every tree cut by him/her.

Gadkari on the Aarey issue

Gadkari’s remarks came at a time when environmentalists and many citizens have been opposing the proposed cutting of over 2,600 trees in the Aarey suburban area to make way for a metro car shed. Several Bollywood personalities and politicians have extended their support to the citizens opposing the cutting of a large number of trees in a stretched out green belt here.

"I feel we should protect the environment and should touch the trees only when the development of a project is stuck," Gadkari told the media. Speaking on the Aarey issue, he said, "The government has given priority to tree plantation. Maharashtra has been allocated Rs 12,000 crore to Rs 13,000 crore from a fund."

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He said that the state Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar's plantation programme is the ‘biggest in the world’. The Union Minister also pointed out that the green cover has increased in Maharashtra and the discussion of falling trees is taking place because there is no alternative otherwise. He also appealed to everyone to not let Mumbaikars pay for the project by opposing it as the capital cost of a project is important. The capital cost of the Bandra-Worli sea link escalated to Rs 1,800 crore from the initial Rs 420 crore because of protests, he pointed out. "Punish a person by making him/her plant 10 trees for every tree cut," he added.

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People voicing their concerns to save Aarey

A couple of days ago, students of St. Xavier's College had written to the famous British adventurer, Bear Grylls, seeking his support to stop the cutting of trees in Aarey Colony for Mumbai Metro project. Also, last week, the Bombay High Court had asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited to file their reply to a petition filed against the cutting down of the trees in the Aarey Forest. The petition was filed by Zoru Darius challenging the Tree authority's decision to cut down 2646 trees in the Aarey forest.

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