Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut has on Sunday slammed "fancy activists" Shraddha Kapoor and Dia Mirza for calling the Aarey metro car shed relocation as "a huge win".
Taking to Twitter, Ranaut said, "First world problems of a few fancy activists are not #Mumbaikars problems, last year I planted more than one Lakh saplings, not cutting trees is good but stopping urbanisation only to suit powerful and wealthy’s agendas is not the solution but part of the problem #Aarey #Metro."
Ranaut's reaction came after Bollywood actresses Shraddha Kapoor and Dia Mirza hailed Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's decision of moving the Aarey metro car shed project to Kanjurmarg.
"No Metro Car shed at Aarey! The Metro car shed will now be at Kanjurmarg. This is a huge win for all those who stood together to Save Aarey #SaveAarey #RestoreAareyForest," wrote Shraddha.
"This is such good news! And a big win for people’s movement #AareyForest @CMOMaharashtra @AUThackeray #ForNature #SDGs," tweeted Dia Mirza.
On Sunday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced the scrapping of Aarey metro car shed and said the project will now come up at Kanjurmarg.
In a webcast, Thackeray said the project will be shifted to a government land in Kanjurmarg and no cost will be incurred for the purpose. "The land will be available at zero rate," 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 acre of Aarey land as forest but now it has been revised to 800 acre. There will be no infringement on rights of tribals in the Aarey forest, he added.
"Biodiversity in Aarey needs to be to conserved and protected. Nowhere is there an 800-acre jungle in an urban set up. 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citizens and environmentalists who protested against the Aarey project and felling of trees in that area have been withdrawn, he said.
(With PTI inputs)
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