Need citizenry to fight to save green spaces

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With the new state government deciding to bring back the Metro car shed to Aarey, protests and battles to save Aarey are already on ground and in cyber space too. The Save Aarey movement is already trending on social media.

A member associated with the Aarey Conservation Group stated in a report that they need unity to save Aarey. The former Maharashtra CM has already said that one should not stab Mumbai in the back while another former minister said that the Metro shed at Kanjurmarg, which has been stalled, be allowed to go ahead. Given the political spotlight on this issue, we expect to see the car shed issue to be in the news for a while.

Even as the Save Aarey imbroglio goes on, we need to see that greens are protected everywhere, and infrastructure comes up with least damage to the environment.

Aarey may be a ‘flagship' or most visible cause, but stay alert for trees being hacked on some pretext, and see if they can be saved. Watch out for open spaces, which may not be as big as a maidan, from being usurped for parking lots, as even slivers are worth saving. Also, one must be especially cautious about some concrete structures slowly and steadily encroaching open and green spaces. This means taking over some small spaces a little at a time. Locals claim there have been a great many illegal extensions on structures near the sea which slowly just go into the water. This has been quite a serious problem during COVID lockdowns when there was skeletal monitoring.

The point here is that Mumbai has always been a place where it is incredibly hard to strike an ecological balance. We need vigilance and green warriors for numerous projects beyond Aarey, and to be always aware. A robust citizenry fighting to save spaces and exploring options that mean minimum damage, maximum progress.