Concerned citizens and environmentalists in Mumbai are up in arms after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Tree Authority cleared the proposal for cutting of 2,702 trees in Aarey Forest for the Metro-3 car shed.

The Tree Authority permitted Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) to cut 2,232 trees from the Aarey Colony and translocate 469 others to make way for the construction of a car service center which is a part of the Mumbai Metro project.

"We got to know it from the media that the Tree Authority has voted to allow cutting of the trees. We don't know who voted for it. It is unusual for the Tree Authority to hold back-to-back meetings like this. This was the third meeting in less than two weeks,"

According to campaigners, Aarey is the world’s only forest in the middle of a modern metropolis and is home to not just a huge diversity of rare insects, reptiles and mammals including wild leopards, but also more than 7000 indigenous tribal people who have been living here in 27 aboriginal Warli tribal hamlets here for centuries, in harmony with nature, protecting this forest.