‘Save the trees, save Aarey’ was the cry

Actress Shraddha Kapoor at the protest

Environment lovers make their point

On Sunday morning, hundreds of Mumbaikars , including celebrities like actress Shraddha Kapoor came together for a cause – to protest against the proposed cutting of 2,702 trees at Aarey. The irate protesters - who also included younger children – braved the rains as they held aloft banners and shouted slogans and then formed a human chain . Their aim was to appeal to the Tree Authority of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) against the proposal to cut 2,238 trees for the car shed of Metro-3 at the Aarey Colony.The decision to cut the trees has sent a wave of shock and discontent among city folks. They gathered early on Sunday to form the ‘longest human chain’ around the barricaded site for Metro 3 car shed.Actress Shraddha Kapoor who has been posting about issue on her social media, expressing unhappiness at the decision and joined the human chain. Their video went viral on social media.Says environmental lover Jalpesh Mehta, “We just cannot uproot trees in the name of development. These trees are ancient and are a precious resource to all Mumbaikars. Rains and bad weather could not stop the 1,500 plus Mumbaikars who came together to form the 3-km long human chain. Aarey is home to nine leopards and different mammals, reptiles and it has 4.5 lakh trees. If we lose the tree cover, it will affect the biodiversity of the forest . Aarey is the only green lung of Mumbai and must be protected for the future generations since Mumbai is the fourth most- polluted mega city in the world as per the World Health Organisation (WHO).”Added another green activist Ketan Nardhani, “We have been betrayed as to what has happened in the past week. We want to show the government that we are not against the metro but we would the like the car shed to be out of the forest area in one of the seven options available.”