The Bombay High Court on Monday agreed to examine whether Mumbai’s Aarey Colony could be saved by changing the location of the proposed car shed for the city’s Metro Line-3 to a salt pan land in Kanjurmarg on the outskirts. The bench said it will look at the ownership dispute that the Kanjurmarg plot, which had been considered for the car shed before, has been embroiled in, the Hindustan Times reported.

The plan to use the 33-hectare forest for the metro project has faced vociferous opposition. Around 2,300 trees would have to be cut for the Metro Line-3 car shed in Aarey Colony, the last green cover of Mumbai within city limits.

The High Court said the best way to try to save the land would be to resolve the Kanjurmarg dispute and sent notices to all those involved in the matter. It issued the notices on a petition filed by one Asmita Bhattacharjee. She has challenged the validity of Urban Development Department’s order from August 24, which changed the use of the Aarey Colony land from green cover to a metro car shed.