Outcry in Mumbai as Govt Plans to Cut 54,000 Mangrove Trees for 'Bullet Train Project'

Mumbai, July 7, 2019:

Environment-loving Mumbaikars are up-in-arms in protest as over 54,000 mangrove trees covering 13.36 hectares of land are to be razed for the ambitious 'Bullet Train' project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

This has caused alarm among the people who fear that this could be catastrophic for the environment as these trees are invaluable contributors to the environment.

Concerned citizens have come up with a petition on change.org which has garnered over 3,000 signatures at the time of filing this report.

Assam-born actor Adil Hussain, who currently resides in Mumbai, has shared the petition on social media platform Facebook, alongside which he has written: "For Bullet Train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, I am sure the Engineers, Planners and Scientists can out their Great Minds Together and find another way to build the railroad without chopping 54 Thousand mangroves. Please sign this petition to save 54 Thousand mangroves in Mumbai Aarey Forest."

Even political leaders have joined the voices protesting against this move. Congress' Milind Deora, tweeted: "Mangroves protect Mumbai from storms, winds, waves & floods. Yet, 54,000 will be razed for the bullet train. Will the train shift Mumbaikars to Ahmedabad when our city drowns?"

The mangrove forest spread across 13.36 hectares will be impacted because of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail corridor, as per Transport Minister Diwakar Raote.

It may be mentioned that Mumbai is already suffering from floods, causing great distress to the metro city dwellers. The cutting down of the tress is expected to make the situation even worse as mangroves act as a fort against tsunamis and floods and protect the coastline.

Inside Northeast’s Campaign #LetsSaveDeeporBeel is now supported by Oil India Limited (OIL). Join us as we continue the awareness campaign to preserve the only Ramsar site in Assam which is facing immense threats. We need your help to preserve this site of great ecological importance. Join the #LetsSaveDeeporBeel campaign and tweet about it, and do tag us on Twitter. Let’s make some noise!