Two newly-married couples hold placards to protest against BMC cycle track

Four newlyweds dressed in their expensive lehengas and suits recently made headlines after protesting against Mumbai civic body Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) cycle track project on their wedding day in Maharashtra’s Thane. The young brides and grooms were seen holding placards with signs to save Powai-Vihar lakes and Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). These young couples were doing their bit to save the SGNP as well as Vihar and Powai Lake from the BMC cycle track project also called - Green Wheels Along the Blue Lines. One of the placards had “Save Vihar Lake” written on it while another spoke about the future being at stake. Furthermore, one of the grooms held a placard that reads, “The cycle track is just a pretext, the real purpose is to make the jungle disappear”. https://twitter.com/FoundationMuse/status/1457565299532652546?s=20 For the past few weeks, BMC’s 10-km cycle track project has been facing fierce opposition from environmentalists and citizens. According to environmentalists, BMC’s proposal to make a cycling track bordering the Powai-Vihar lakes contravenes its own Development Control Regulations. Additionally, environmentalists also pointed out that the construction is not accepted into the 100m zone of the lake’s periphery. Due to this, activists have been objecting to the cycle track which is said to be a “destructive project” and is hampering the fragile ecology of SGNP. On 1 November, the Bombay High Court (HC) put a stay on the Powai side of the project after hearing that the new project would violate management rules and guidelines along with wetland conservation. The Bombay High Court was hearing public interest litigation (PIL) filed by two researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. Meanwhile, a Mumbai-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) has recently approached the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to intrude in the matter.