Even as various environmental groups have protested against the proposed Metro car shed in Aarey Colony — which they claim should be declared forest land — an NGO Janadhar Samajik Pratishthan (JSP) and a few locals have taken a contrasting stand. JSP has opposed the stand taken by these groups saying the demand for Aarey Colony to be declared forest land is not based on ground reality.
JSP, which claims to be an NGO working in the Aarey Colony, said it was planning to challenge a petition of the Vanshakti NGO in the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which it said did not know anything about the situation in Aarey Colony.
Nilesh Dhuri, president of JSP, said, “Just to stop the government from building a Metro car depot they cannot do injustice to the locals and adivasis residing in Aarey Colony. We do not want the locals and adivasis to reside in slums forever and if Aarey Colony is declared as forest land by the NGT, then its redevelopment will not be allowed keeping in mind the rules and regulations to be followed for a forest land.”
Several NGOs have been protesting Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC)’s decision to have a Metro car depot in Aarey Colony saying MMRC has selected the largest green cover of the city without considering alternatives and therefore they had approached the NGT to declare Aarey colony as forest land.
Ajay Sawant, committee member, JSP, said, “We have been reading in newspapers that several NGOs are claiming Aarey Colony is forest land. Have they ever approached the locals and asked them about the state of Aarey Colony Aarey Colony is a green belt area, but it cannot be termed forest land. There is a huge difference between both.”
Mr Sawant added, “Once the land is declared forest land we will have to stop our agricultural activities. There cannot be any kind of farming on forest land and this will directly affect the income we earn.”
