The Supreme Court on Friday stopped any felling of trees at Mumbai’s Aarey forest area till it takes up the petition filed by NGO Vanashakti on Wednesday challenging a proposed Metro shed in the colony.
The Court was hearing a batch of applications filed by activists and residents alleging that the authorities have resumed the tree cutting in Aarey forest region contrary to the status quo order passed by the Supreme Court in November 2019.
Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, appearing for the MMRCL, denied that tree cutting was going on in the area. The SG said that after status quo order was passed in November 2019, no trees were cut. In the meantime, there were bushes, weeds and shrubs which have grown in the area, and the authorities are removing those.
The bench comprising Justices UU Lalit, S Ravindra Bhat and Aniruddha Bose said that in view of this stand taken by the MMRCL, there is no requirement for any interim order to be passed by the Court. "No specific interim directions are called for in view of the stand taken in the recent affidavit by an on behalf of the respondent (MMRCL). Suffice it to say that as stated by the concerned respondent, no trees have been cut since the order dated November 7, 2019 and shall not be cut till the next date of hearing", the bench noted in the order.”
The bench fixed the next date of hearing on August 10 when the pending matters related to Aarey forest and the need for preserving this area as the “green lung” of Mumbai will be listed for hearing.
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