A few news items which caught my eye today, and which I want to share with you are:
1 Tree-cutting controversy at Aarey for Mumbai Metro 3 project– This Metro project which is going on for the last 6 years has been delayed by a number of years. This is because of the location of its car shed, when the project started, it was planned that the car shed will be located in the area of Aarey, which was quite close to the last station of the Metro project. But from the beginning, the environmental activists were objecting, as Aarey is considered to be a green area, and the project required the cutting of thousands of trees. The matter went to various courts, and in the end, the Supreme Court (SC) gave the permission to cut a certain number of trees (about 2600), with condition that the number of trees that will be planted/replanted should be much more than the trees cut.
The construction of the car shed at Aarey started, but in the meantime, the Maharashtra elections happened in November 2019 and the government changed. The Shiv Sena-led MVA government withdrew the permission for a car shed at Aarey and served the stop work notice to the Metro project. The work came to stand still.
In June 2022, the Shiv Sena-led government fell, when 40 MLAs left the Shiv Sena and joined hands with BJP, and formed the government. They again gave the permission for Car Shed at Aarey and work started. In October/November The Mumbai Metro Railway Corporation Ltd (MMRCL), the agency that is constructing this Metro project again approached the SC for cutting more than 84 trees, which was granted. Yesterday the SC came heavily on MMRCL for moving Tree Authority for felling more trees than permitted by the SC (84 trees), and the SC fined MMRCL an amount of Rs 10 lakh, to be paid to the Conservator of Forests. The Conservator shall ensure that all the afforestation which has been directed is completed.
The apex court took strong objection to the fact the superintendent of the Gardens and tree office had granted permission to cut 177 trees in violation of the top court’s order. The correct course of action would have been to move this court if MMRCL wanted to cut more trees for completing the project. After long arguments the SC, however, permitted the MMRCL to remove 177 trees from Aarey forest, saying a stay-on tree felling would lead to the public project being brought to a standstill which is not desirable.
It looks like now the last hurdle has been cleared by the SC, and Mumbaikar can hope that this Metro 3 project, which 95% underground, will be completed now in the next 2 years.
2 This news is about the dreaded Don Atiq Ahmed, who was recently shot down in UP. The way he was killed, even when he was surrounded by the police force when they were taking him and his brother for health inspection in the hospital, took everyone by surprise. This killing has been condemned by all the parties who are in opposition whether at the centre or in UP state. The leading voice of opposition in this matter is SP, Congress, AAP, and left parties.
Now Congress is forgetting that during UPA 1 time, in the year 2008, there were dark clouds over UPA 1 government due to the nuclear treaty with the USA. At that time Atiq Ahmed was MP of Samajwadi party(SP) from Allahabad (now Prayagraj) At that time, there were many parties, mainly left front, who were supporting UPA 1 government from outside, and these parties were threatening to withdraw their support, in case the government goes ahead with the treaty. At that stage opposition led by BJP filed a no-confidence motion against the UPA 1 government. The government had only 224 MPs and they were short of 44 votes, that time SP and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) gave support to the government. Atiq Ahmed that time was lingering in jail. He along with 5 other MPS, who was also in jail, was released on parole for casting their vote against a no-confidence motion. These 6 MPs had cases of murder, extortion, kidnapping, arson, and other 100 criminal cases. That was the time when these Mafia-linked gangsters established themselves firmly in Indian politics.
So it was the Congress-led UPA 1 government that took the help of 6 dreaded gangster MPs, and after this, Atiq grew in his stature as a political Don, and he instilled fear in the minds of MLAs, police, judiciary, and government officials and ruled the UP, till BJP government under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath took control of UP, and as everyone says rest is history.
Waiting for your views on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
18th April 2023