Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday announced the scrapping of Aarey metro car shed and said the project will now come up at Kanjurmarg here.
In a webcast, Thackeray said the project will be shifted to government land in Kanjurmarg and no cost will be incurred for the purpose. "The land will be available at zero rates," he said.
He said the building which has come up in Aarey forest will be utilised for some other public purpose. "About Rs 100 crore expenditure was incurred for the purpose and it won't go waste," he said.
Thackeray said the government had earlier declared 600 acres of Aarey land as forest but now it has been revised to 800 acres. There will be no infringement on rights of tribals in the Aarey forest, he added.
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"Biodiversity in Aarey needs to be conserved and protected. Nowhere is there an 800-acre jungle in an urban setup. Mumbai has a natural forest cover," he said.
Cases last year against citizens and environmentalists who protested against the Aarey project and felling of trees in that area have been withdrawn, he said.
