NEW DELHI — India’s Supreme Court has ordered the government of the central state of Maharashtra to stop tree-felling after protesters swarmed a residential area being cleared for a metro line project.
The court order on Monday stalls tree-cutting at least until another hearing Oct. 21.
It’s unclear how many trees the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation has cut of the more than 2,600 trees planned for clearing for a metro car maintenance depot for the city’s expanding metro system.
Twenty-nine protesters were arrested last week on charges of allegedly obstructing and assaulting police personnel in the clearing zone. The Press Trust of India reports that government officials told the court that all protesters have been released.
Activists are demanding that the area be declared a forest to protect it from development.
The Associated Press
