The protesters were citizens who stood up for the future of the planet, Aaditya Thackeray said (File)
Bombay:
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday ordered the Home Office to withdraw cases filed against protesters last year for opposing the cutting down of trees for a metro hangar project in the colony of Aarey, considered the lung of the city. The decision was made during the state cabinet meeting.
A tweet from the chief minister’s office said Mr Thackeray had ordered the Home Office to begin the process of withdrawing from business.
The request to withdraw from business was made at the cabinet meeting by state environment minister Aaditya Thackeray, who was supported by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and other ministers.
“I thank all colleagues in the MVA government cabinet for prioritizing and realizing the importance of sustainable development and green governance and for supporting these issues,” tweeted Aaditya Thackeray.
He said the protesters were citizens who stood up for the future of the planet.
“Preventing them from stopping their desired work was one thing, but filing a complaint against the police was another. We cannot prosecute those who defend the environment and the forests,” he said in another tweet.
Uddhav Thackeray announced the withdrawal of charges against green activists last December, days after being sworn in as chief minister.
Cases have been recorded after clashes erupted between police and green activists opposing the cutting down of trees by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) in the Aarey settlement last October for construction a metro hangar for the Metro-3 line.
Police had charged at least 38 protesters under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code with assault or forceful indictment aimed at dissuading an official from performing his or her duties, willfully causing injury to deter the official from his duty and to meet illegally.
Last month, the chief minister asked officials of the Mumbai metro and MMRDA (Mumbai Metropolitan Area Development Authority) to examine whether the proposed hangar for metro cars could be moved to the region of Pahadi-Goregaon, near Oshiwara.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
