MNS workers protest against cutting of trees in Aarey for Metro- III car depot

While the MNS Chief Raj Thackeray's wife Sharmila Thackeray did not turned up for the protest of the metro car depot line three at Aarey Milk colony on Tuesday, the party leaders while addressing the crowd, made it clear that the party will not allow a single tree to be cut in Aarey.

MNS workers protest against metro depot-III. Pic/Nimesh Dave

On Tuesday, Sharmila Thackeray was scheduled to come to Aarey in order to protest the proposed car depot of metro line three in Aarey only but she did not turn up for the the protest. A senior party leader Rita Gupta from MNS said, " Sharmilaji was supposed to come but she had to cancel her plan at the last moment as someone in the family is unwell. We have been saying it from the start and we once again want to make one thing very clear that we won't allow a single tree to be cut in Aarey."

Glimpse of the protest. Pic/Nimesh Dave

More than 400 party workers and senior MNS leaders including Former MLA Mangesh Sangle, Rita Gupta , Arvind Gawde, Dilip Lande, Sanjay Ghadi and others were present during the protest. Sensing that the protest can turn violent, a heavy police bandobast was deployed near the metro car depot site.

The party leaders also alleged that the reason behind bringing the car depot in Aarey is to open this last green lungs in the name of development. A senior party leader said, "Aarey is a prime location which the politicians from BJP-Sena want to sell off to some developers. The metro car depot project is just a start and is actually a back door entry for developers. Our party was the first which raised the issue to save trees and Aarey and we would stand by the NGOs which are working hard to protect Aareys's biodiversity."