Aaditya Thackeray seeks Bhide's transfer over Aarey-metro row

Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray on Tuesday sought transfer of MMRCL's Managing Director Ashwini Bhide for not heeding the opposition to tree felling in Aarey Colony for Mumbai metro's car shed.

He also questioned the stand taken by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited's (MMRCL) that there can't be a metro for the city if land was not made available in the forested Aarey Colony.

The BJP-led Maharashtra government's plan to cut about 2,700 trees in Aarey Colony in north Mumbai for car shed of the metro has had green activists and citizens' groups up in the arms.

Aaditya, son of ruling BJP's ally Uddahv Thackeray, has lent support to those opposed to tree felling.

Bhide, on Monday, said it was not possible to build the car shed anywhere else as suggested by green activists.

"The concerned officer is not only disrespecting the elected representatives and citizens of Mumbai but her statements also seem to threaten the common man and the courts," Aaditya said at a press conference.

"MMRCL's stand is against the citizens of Mumbai," he added, demanding Bhide's transfer.

He gave a presentation on the flora and fauna of Aarey Colony (which is adjacent to Sanjay Gandhi National Park), and said if construction was allowed there, the Mithi river which flows through the city would get flooded often.

The consultants who suggested use of Aarey land for car shed, ignoring the area's bio-diversity, must be probed, he said.

"We must know what is the scam behind this stand," he added.

Thackeray also wondered if the real estate lobby was behind the demand for locating metro car shed in Aarey, saying once the car shed came up, the area would be thrown open for commercial development.

The opposition was to the car shed and not to the metro per se, he said, while demanding that Aarey be declared a protected forest.