Friday, August 19, 2022

Aarey Metro shed row: Raj Thackeray’s son calls decision ‘shocking’, Aaditya urges govt to reconsider

Urging the new government to reconsider the decision, Amit Thackeray said, "The new decision by the new government is shocking for me and innumerable environment activists and lovers"

Amit Thackeray and Aaditya Thackeray (File)

The junior Thackeray cousins — Amit and Aaditya — have come out with vehement opposition to the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government’s plans to revive the Mumbai Metro Line-3 crashed in the Aarey Milk Colony from the Kanjur Marg proposed site.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray’s son Amit Thackeray Saturday took to social media expressing his displeasure and termed the decision as “shocking”.

Urging the new government to reconsider the decision, Amit Thackeray said, “The new decision by the new government is shocking for me and innumerable environment activists and lovers. The youth of the state had earlier struggled hard against the move. Some were even put in jail,” said Thackeray in a social media post.

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A post shared by Amit Thackeray (@amitthackeray.speaks)

“We definitely need development but not at the cost of the environment. If our environment is completely destroyed then there will be no one left for politics or to be ruled upon. The politicians should take a note of this,” he said in Marathi.

Within hours of assuming power on Thursday (June 30), Maharashtra’s new government decided in its first Cabinet meeting to reverse the decision of the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by Uddhav Thackeray to move the Metro-3 car shed from Aarey to the 102-acre salt pan land in Kanjurmarg.

Former minister Aaditya Thackeray on Sunday made a request to the Eknath Shinde government asking them to reconsider its decision. “I humbly urge new government to reconsider its decision. Don’t cast the hate for us, on to our beloved Mumbai,” he tweeted, adding that he would be “missing out on the protest for Aarey forest and the MMRCL land” as he had to attend the sitting of the Legislative Assembly today for the Speaker’s election.

Aarey isn’t only about 2700+ trees, it is about it’s biodiversity that we are seeking to protect in our Mumbai.
There are daily sightings of leopards and other smaller species in the carshed spot and around it.
We’re proud of declaring more than 800 acres as forest around it.

— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) July 3, 2022

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

“Consider the proposal of having Metro-3 carshed at Kanjurmarg. I am requesting with folded hands, don’t insist on making the carshed at Aarey,” Aadity added.

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This comes after former Chief Minister and Aaditya Thackeray’s father Uddhav Thackeray said he was “very upset” and urged the government to not reverse the Metro car shed plan two days earlier. The new government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis has directed the State Urban Development Department to place before the Cabinet a proposal for a car shed at Aarey.

First published on: 03-07-2022 at 01:14:41 pm