Taking a cue from Garhwal’s famous Chipko movement, Aam Aadmi Party workers, along with tea garden employees, clinged to tea garden trees to express opposition to the acquisition of tea estate for the smart city project here today.

Led by senior AAP leader Anoop Nautiyal, the protesters reached the Harbanswala tea garden and clinged to the trees in the garden area. They also raised slogans against the state and Central governments on the proposed smart city project.

Addressing the gathering, Nautiyal said AAP would continue to protest and oppose corruption in the name of the smart city project. He added both BJP and Congress were hand in glove in the name of the smart city project.

The AAP workers also held a protest rally in the area. Omkar Bhatia, Uma Sisodia, Abhishek Bahuguna and Kamal Devrari were prominent among those who took part in the Chipko protest.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) activists have decided to send postcards, signed by nearly 5,000 displaced villagers, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to register their protest against the proposed smart city project on the tea estate land in the city. They said the state government should take effective steps to revive tea estates here.