No road widening proposed in Aarey, clarifies BMC

Environmentalists remained sceptical of the clarification as the tender calls for the construction of a nine-metre-wide road as opposed to the existing seven-metre

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday clarified a tender floated earlier this month for proposed road work in Aarey, an urban forest within Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park, will not include any widening. Only road up-gradation from tar to concrete will be carried out, it added.

The development, which marks the second time this year that BMC has issued a tender for revamping the Aarey main road, has sparked the ire of environmentalists, who maintain that such infrastructure expansion can be ecologically detrimental to the area. (HT photo)

Environmentalists remained sceptical of the clarification as the tender calls for the construction of a nine-metre-wide road as opposed to the existing seven-metre. They highlighted the BMC intends to lay concrete pipes on either side of the road, which seems unnecessary in an area with sufficient natural drainage.

Zoru Bhatena, an environmentalist with the Save Aarey Movement who has filed a complaint in the matter, said, “Grateful that BMC has clarified that no trees will be touched in Aarey. But it does not answer the question as to why they want to add concrete drains in a natural area, or facilities to increase traffic in the forest. Nor does it answer why they are doing such work without statutory forest and eco-sensitive zone clearances as is mandatory in notified forest areas.”

BMC said there is no proposal for widening of existing asphalt road and that due care will be taken to protect trees in the forest.

“Necessary mitigation measures will be taken care of as per the direction of Chief Conservator of Forest,” BMC said in a statement.

Sanjiv Valsan, another campaigner for saving the forest, said they are relieved to know BMC is not widening the road. He added converting it from tar to a concrete road is not going to solve the real and current problem that of unacceptably high vehicular congestion in an eco-sensitive zone. “Heavy toll needs to be levied on private vehicles entering Aarey as was the case a few years ago.”