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Source – hindustantimes.com

The Supreme Court temporarily halted the cutting of trees in Mumbai’s Aarey Milk colony on Monday and asked the state government to maintain status quo in one of the city’s few green belts that has been at the centre of a controversy over alleged ecological damage to pave the way for Mumbai Metro construction.

A special bench of justices Arun Mishra and Ashok Bhushan also ordered the immediate release of protesters who were arrested late on Friday. “Status quo be maintained till the next date of hearing with respect to cutting of trees,” the bench said while hearing a petition by a group of law students. The next date of hearing is October 21. The bench also asked the state to file a report on the status of over 21,000 saplings planted in the area in 2016.

Solicitor general of India Tushar Mehta, appearing for Maharashtra government, told the apex court that whatever was required to be cut for the Metro car shed has already been done, and that the authorities would not chop any more trees.

Later in the day, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) said it respected the apex court order. In a series of tweets, the organisation said it had obtained permission from the Bombay high court to cut 2,185 trees, of which 2,141, or roughly 98%, had already been axed. “These will be cleared from the site and subsequent construction activities will be carried out,” the statement added.

The Aarey Milk colony is a 1,287 hectare area housing roughly 500,000 trees abutting the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and the Mithi river. Home to hundreds of species of birds and animals, Aarey may be irreparably damaged by the felling of trees and construction of a shed where metro rakes will be washed and repaired, say activists. But the government points out that only a small fraction of the total tree cover will be axed, and saplings many times that number will be replanted elsewhere. The government and civic body has also pointed out the importance of the Metro in a city of 18 million that is struggling with pollution, choked roads, and traffic snarls.

Last Friday, the Bombay high court upheld the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) tree authority’s approval for the axing of trees and refused to classify Aarey as a forest, which would have introduced restrictions on tree felling. Hours later, MMRCL began cutting trees, prompting activists from across the city to gather at the site around 11pm on Friday. They forced their way past the barricades, clung to the trees and stopped workers. Around 50 people were detained and work resumed around 3am Saturday after the site was cordoned off.

As protests spread across Mumbai, the Supreme Court set up a special bench on Sunday and took suo motu cognisance of a letter dated October 6 written by law students.“We are thankful to the Supreme Court that they took cognizance in this matter,” said Rishav Ranjan, the law student who had written the letter to the SC. The Shiv Sena hailed the order as a “moral victory” for environmentalists.

The BJP said it will respect the court’s decision. Senior party leader Madhav Bhandari said the top court has not given any specific order. “The court has given the next date of hearing on October 21. The government will honour the Supreme Court directives,” he said.