Spread over 1,800 acres, Aarey Forest is often referred to as the 'Lung of Mumbai'. Apart from leopards, about 300 species of animals are found here.
After the change of guard in Maharashtra, the environmentalists and activists are worried and have become active in the state. The forest of Aarey is in danger and there seems very bleak hope to save them as development work takes the front seat. Activists are planning to intensify protests to save the forest of Aarey Colony, the lungs of Mumbai.
With the change of governance, the old government's decision regarding Aarey Colony has been overturned. The Eknath Shinde government is going to build a metro carshed by cutting thousands of trees there again. The Uddhav Thackeray government had stopped this work of the Devendra Fadnavis government after he came to power. The move was highly welcomed then.
Read | Metro car shed to be built in Aarey Colony, Eknath Shinde reverses Uddhav Thackeray's decision
Why Aarey forest matters?
Environmentalists and activists are angry with the decision of the new government. They believe that the cutting down of trees will largely destroy the biodiversity of the area. Spread over 1,800 acres, this Aarey Forest is often referred to as the 'Lung of Mumbai'. Apart from leopards, about 300 species of animals are found in the Aarey forest. This suburb is located in Goregaon.
According to environmentalists, the forest not only provides fresh air to people of the city, but it is also a key habitat for wildlife, including some endemic species. The forest has some five lakh trees, and also has a couple of rivers and some lakes flowing through it, they say. Due to the large green patch here, the environment remains pure.
Cutting down these trees will have a long time effect and cast its shadow on the future of Mumbai. With increasing pollution, trees and plants serve as a safety blanket for the people. Cutting them down will have an impact on both the present and future generations that will live in the city. A report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) suggested that air pollution is capable of affecting the health of people.
Environmentalists argue that cutting down of trees will not only be dangerous for the environment, rather due to this, there will be a flood-like danger near Mumbai's international airport. They say that due to these trees the rain water stagnates. If there are no trees, then the extra rain water will go to Mithi river. This will create a risk of flooding in the area.
Another repercussion of deforestation is a probable increase in man-animal conflict. If the animals living in Aarey forest are deprived of their homes, they will eventually enter the areas that are inhabited by humans, which will put the lives of locals in fatal danger.
Aarey Milk Colony has been very important for Mumbai from the environmental point of view. There are gardens, animal husbandry, nurseries and lakes. There is a place called Chhota Kashmir as a picnic spot, which is surrounded by lush greenery and lake and is a great attraction for tourists. Along with this, a zoo and Sanjay Gandhi National Park are also adjacent to Aarey.
Timeline of events
The protest started in 2019 when the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Trees Authority had granted permission to the Mumbai Metro rail Corporation (MMRC) to cut and transplant nearly 2,700 trees in the Aarey Colony for the construction of a Metro car depot of the Metro 3 line.
The first phase of the Metro project, which started in 2014, has been completed from Versova to Ghatkopar. After its expansion, the metro needed a parking shed. After exploring the entire Mumbai, the company associated with the metro project found the right place for the shed construction in the Aarey Colony. BMC also approved the cutting of trees.
According to the proposal of the Metro Rail Corporation, out of a total of 2702 trees, 2,238 trees were to be cut. The rest had to be transferred from here. As soon as the people of Mumbai came to know about this decision, they started opposing it. Aarey Colony is like a sigh of relief in a concrete jungle city like Mumbai.
When the dispute escalated, the matter reached the court. City-based NGO, Vanshakti had filed a petition in the Bombay High Court to declare the entire 1280-hectare of the Aarey Colony as a Reserved Forest or a Protected Forest as the case could be under the Indian Forest Act 1927.
During that time, protesters including residents, activists, Congress members, Shiv Sena members and many Bollywood personalities also raised their voices. People started gathering like Chipko movement to protest the cutting down of the trees. However, the Bombay High Court issued orders regarding the cutting of trees. But after this, when the Uddhav Thackeray government came to power, it stopped this project.
Nehru laid the foundation of Aarey Colony
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had laid the foundation of Aarey Colony. In 1951, Pandit Nehru laid the foundation of Aarey Milk Colony to promote the dairy industry in Mumbai. He planted saplings on this occasion. After Nehru's plantation, so many people planted saplings here that within a few years this area turned into a forest. This entire area is spread over 3166 acres where only trees are visible all around.
The idea of establishing Aarey Milk Colony was started in 1949 to promote dairy production in Mumbai. The idea was originally from Dara Nusserwanji Khurody, who is considered the pioneer of the dairy sector in Mumbai. He was jointly awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1963 along with Dr Verghese Kurien, who was known for the milk revolution in the country.
Filmcity built in this forest
Aarey Milk Colony comprises of 12 villages or localities - Sai, Gundgaon, Filmcity, Royal Palms, Dindoshi, Aarey, Pahari Goregaon, Vyarawal, Kondivita, Maroshi or Marol, Parjapur and Paspoli. The concept of Aarey Milk Colony was laid by combining all these areas and in 1977, Film City was started in this area in an area of 200 hectares for the location of shooting of films, which is a very famous area of Mumbai today.
Aarey forest is like Nainital
After Nehru's plantation, Aarey Colony, which became a forest due to the mass campaign of planting saplings, had become the heartbeat of Mumbai in a few years by turning into a beautiful and green forest. Its natural beauty was alluring and in 1958 the famous filmmaker Bimal Roy shot here for his classic film Madhumati.
In fact, Bimal Roy had shot for this film in Nainital and when he had to shoot to match a particular scene, he did it in the jungle of Aarey as he got a glimpse of Nainital.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Aarey forest known as 'Lung of Mumbai'")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}