The size of the colony has already shrunk from 3,262 acres to just about 1,100 acres. In 2021, around 705 acres of land was handed over to the forest department after it was declared a reserved forest.The internal road network of Aarey colony now faces growing pressure from the city as its burgeoning traffic looks to move smoothly. There is growing demand for the internal roads to be handed over to the BMC for repairs and maintenance and to be made available to the public.
The state government, while wanting the BMC to repair and maintain the 42 km internal road network in Aarey, has opposed handing over the title of these lands to the BMC. A committee set up by the government in a report submitted to the Bombay high court that is hearing the matter said there was danger of increased encroachments if the titles were handed over to the BMC.
Aarey CEO Balasaheb Wakchaure, who was a member of the committee, said the 7 km concrete road from Marol to the Western Express Highway in Goregaon that runs through Aarey was laid by the BMC and has resulted in an increase in not just the traffic but also incidents of encroachments and garbage dumping in the green area.
The mounds of debris dumped on both sides of the Mithi river in Aarey are yet to be cleared. Poles used for marking forest areas along the concrete road have disappeared. “Earlier it was gated and vehicles entering Aarey would be stopped and checked, but after it was handed over to the BMC it has become a public road. We have an ongoing drive against encroachment and have set up an anti-encroachment squad that patrols all 47 units within Aarey,” Wakchaure said.
He said that since the monsoon they had received no police protection to remove encroachments. The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, which is a part of the state committee, suggested bitumen roads instead of concrete roads in Aarey colony, said Wakchaure.
Tribals, forests and wildlife
Aarey colony was declared an ecosensitive zone in 2016 and a natural area in the BMC’s Development Control and Promotion Regulations 2023. In 2020, 800 acres of Aarey colony were declared reserved forest and in 2021 the forest department took possession of 705 acres. The department deployed guards, set up chowkies and the state public works department is now constructing a boundary wall along it.
This has been objected to by the tribals and animal activists. While the tribal hamlets were not included in the forest, the tribals point out that the land they have been cultivating for years has been declared a reserved forest. They have now filed claims and sought access to the land.
Animal activists point out that the wall will restrict wildlife movement that today moves seamlessly across the national park and Aarey colony. In a recent census using camera traps, the forest department recorded 10 leopards in Aarey.
“There are so many projects being planned in the national park as well as Aarey colony. It is a systematic destruction of the green spaces of Mumbai. Building a wall to keep people out is a good idea but you should not be stopping animals from crossing over,” Krishna Tiwari, a wildlife conservator, said.
Wakchaure said the boundary wall was to restrict the straying of wild animals into human habitations.
Flooding an emerging issue
Roads in Aarey now regularly flood during heavy rain. With its vast open grasslands slowly disappearing, Aarey colony is becoming prone to water accumulation. The training of the Mithi and Oshiwara rivers to accommodate infrastructure projects in Aarey is also a cause for concern, said activists.
Masterplan for milk colony
The dairy development department is now in the process of finalising a consultant for the preparation of a masterplan for the remaining space it now controls. The department wants to promote eco-tourism, create amenities, upgrade gardens, better utilise godowns and solve the slum sprawl issue.
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