The stop-work notice to a car shed at Aarey Colony is, hopefully, the first step towards saving the green lungWhen I heard about the new chief minister’s decision to stop the metro car shed construction at Aarey Colony, I wondered whether all of us involved in the Save Aarey movement would have imagined something like this happening even a month ago. What a fight, what a journey it has been getting up to this point. The Save Aarey movement was launched in 2014 and it is a splendid example of what motivated citizens can achieve when they decide to save their city against the heaviest of odds. Stalin from the NGO, Vanashakti, is leading the movement. All I can say is, God bless him.Anyone who has stepped inside the Aarey Colony will know will know its importance to the entire city. I first visited the place in December 2016 and was amazed by the pristine, magnificent oasis of nature, right in the middle of this concrete city. A land dotted with clear streams, water bodies, birds, animals, trees.... and the adivasi hamlets without electricity, nature in all its glory. If we don’t fight to protect this, what else should we fight for?The Save Aarey movement itself has seen so many ups and downs. Along the way we met so many wonderful people. The fellow citizens who stepped out of their homes and offices to join the protests. The lawyers who have completely dedicated themselves to free for Aarey. The cops who, while detaining us, repeatedly apologised saying they must follow the orders.The government officials who goaded us to submit RTI applications and get the latest updates on the matter. The journalists who joined in the movement. And the judges, who expressed sincere anguish at what was going on, but were themselves helpless.The Save Aarey activists are fighting for such a noble cause that till date, I haven’t come across one person who doesn’t want to help. The line – ‘we are here to save Aarey’ -- opened so many doors, but the main door remained shut. Everyone’s hands are tied. Or, should I say, were tied!This struggle against the highest powers in the state takes much toll on our personal and professional lives, and our peace of mind. On several occasions I have said it aloud that I envy people who put on blinkers and simply ignore such issues. But a few people are not ‘wired’ to ignore these issues and they must carry on the struggle. Our struggle has seen massive failures, and very few successes. The number of failures when compared to the successes is gigantic, but the struggle must continue because you never know when the tide will turn. Friday was a fine example of that.A few decades down the line when people will discuss the Aarey movement, will they not be amazed by the fact that the normally-mute Mumbaikar stepped out of his/her home to protest? Who will believe that citizens courted arrest while saving trees? Who will believe that our government chopped down trees in the dead of the night? Who will believe that the Supreme Court opened its doors for Aarey during the Dussehra holiday? But then, that’s exactly what the Save Aarey movement is.Let me make it amply clear that Mumbai urgently needs the metro. No debate on that. But, does it make any sense to destroy an ecologically sensitive forested area just to park the rakes? Does it really make sense to destroy the the Mithi River bed to create a depot? Does the government really expect the people to believe that there is no alternative anywhere in the city except in Aarey? What good can come out of destroying nature simply because you have the power to do so?I am reminded of February 2017, when the then chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis , promised us that his government will set up a team with MMRCL to study the impact on Aarey and minimise the loss of trees for the metro project. That promise was tweeted and remained only a tweet.To the new chief minister, Uddhav Thackeray, we say thank you. Thank you for issuing a stopwork notice to the metro depot in Aarey. But please don’t forget for a minute, that all of Mumbai is watching. Especially now. Watching how you protect Aarey for us and for the next generation.And to all those Mumbaikars are still wondering what Aarey is all about, do visit the place. It is spectacular. As for the Save Aarey movement, I’d say do yourself a favour by becoming a part of it.Environmentalist Zoru Bhathena is involved in the fight to save the trees at Aarey Colony and all over Mumbai.