SC restrains Maharashtra govt & MMRDA from cutting trees for Metro Line 4 project

A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde on Monday restrained the Maharashtra government and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for two weeks from cutting trees for the Metro Line 4. This route covers 32.32 km from Wadala in Mumbai to Kasarvadavali in Thane. Environmentalist Rohit Joshi had filed a petition in this regard after many trees were reportedly cut down at night. Moreover, the apex court has asked the MMRDA to respond to the petition. 

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Thane mayor asks civil officials to register a complaint

Recently, the Naupada police booked the contractor and MMRDA officials involved in the Metro Line 4 project for alleged tree felling under the relevant sections of the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act 1975. This came after newly elected Thane mayor Naresh Mhaske received many complaints from concerned citizens regarding the indiscriminate cutting of trees. Mhaske asked the civic officials to register a complaint with the police.  

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Uddhav Thackeray halts Aarey Metro car shed project

Widespread protests have been going on to protest against the Aarey land being used for the purpose of building a car shed for Mumbai Metro 3. As the Bombay High Court upheld the permission granted by the Brihanmumbai Mumbai Corporation’s (BMC) Tree Authority in October, over 2,185 trees were razed overnight. This led to a petition in the SC that ordered a freeze on the cutting of any more trees till further orders. Meanwhile, one of the first decisions of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Uddhav Thackeray was to stop the work of the Aarey metro car shed project. The Maharashtra CM asserted that a single leaf of Aarey would not be cut.  

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(With ANI inputs)

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