Ahead of Shravan, Mumbai cops up vigil at Yeeor side of Sanjay Gandhi National Park

Several people visit the forest resorts and bungalows before the beginning of Shravan, when they abstain from non-vegetarian food and alcohol.

To prevent drunk revellers from littering the Yeoor range of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) forest on the occasion of Gatari — the last day before the beginning of the auspicious Shravan month —the Maharashtra forest department along with environmental organisations have decided to up the vigil at several entry and exit points to the forest. NGOs will also observe a Green Gatari.

Gatari will be observed on July 24, a Sunday, and hence a lot of people will try to enter the Yeoor forest to celebrate the festival.

Several people visit the forest resorts and bungalows before the beginning of Shravan, when they abstain from non-vegetarian food and alcohol. These revelers end up littering the forest with bottles, plastic and papers, apart from endangering the life of animals.

Sanjay Waghmode, range forest officer of Yeoor, said, “With Yeoor declared as an eco-sensitive zone, this year we have constructed a boundary wall between Yeoor village and the forest. This has restricted most entry and exit points to the forest. However, a few points still exist, like Madhuban Gate, DSP gate, Mhatarkhind and Patonapada, from where people can enter. We, along with the excise and police department, will station more rangers at these points.”

Yeoor Environmental Society (YES), an umbrella organisation of many environmental NGOs, has appealed to the people to observe a green Gatari. They will assist the forest department at different entry points to check people who enter the forest. Rohit Joshi, the founder of YES, said, “Yeoor is a lush green forest in Thane city, which is threatened by revelers on Gatari Day. We will stand guard with the forest department at the entry points. There might be genuine picnickers or nature lovers seeking entry, we will help differentiate between them.”