Explained | The Aarey conundrum

The Aarey Milk Colony is back in the spotlight, as the fight to preserve this green space in the heart of Mumbai continues

The story so far: The climax of an intense political drama in Maharashtra, leading to the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government, saw rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde taking oath as the Chief Minister with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy. After scripting one of the most thrilling turnarounds in State politics, the duo reversed the previous Government’s 2020 decision to relocate a proposed Mumbai Metro shed project from Aarey Colony, in one of the first decisions of the new Cabinet, bringing the almost decade-long battle back inthe spotlight.

Stretched over 1,300 hectares of forest land in the northern suburb of Goregaon, Aarey is located near the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). Termed the metropolis’ green lung, Aarey or Aarey Milk Colony is home to several indigenous species of trees and varied flora and fauna.

The story of Aarey goes back to the time when India gained Independence and Mumbai was emerging as a dream destination for business and for building a life. To support its growing population and economy, the fast-growingcity needed easily accessible agricultural produce. It was this requirement that gave birth to the Aarey Milk Colony.

In 1949, around 1,300 acres were allotted to the State Department of Dairy Development. The vision was to develop a separate area to streamline Mumbai’s unhygienic and unorganised cattle sheds and give impetus to the production and supply of dairy products. The man behind this idea was the then Bombay milk commissioner Dara N Khurody. He won the Ramon Magsaysay Award along with Verghese Kurien in 1963.

In 1951, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru formally inaugurated the milk colony by planting a sapling. A black and white photo widely shared on social media, tweeted by several verified Congress handles, shows Mr. Nehru planting the sapling. A red note on the picture mentions reads, “Planting for the future”.

Over the years, the jungle of concrete around the woody area exploded, with Aarey emerging as a haven for biodiversity, a home for the Adivasis inhabiting its villages and the ‘last green lungs’ of Mumbai — one of the most polluted cities of the world.  

The ongoing controversy has its origins in 2014. The then chief minister Prithviraj Chavan proposed a plan to build a facility for washing and maintaining Metro coaches for the 33.5 km underground Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ Metro project at Aarey Milk Colony.