Green massacre in Aarey Colony, say nature lovers

Logs loaded onto a truck inside Aarey Milk Colony

A Contractor engaged by authorities to clear fallen trees from Aarey Milk Colony has been felling healthy trees and taking away wood, green activists have alleged. The contractor has been appointed by the office of the Aarey CEO. The alleged destruction of the green cover was spotted by nature lovers who frequent Aarey.

"I have been visiting Aarey Milk Colony for over a decade. I go to the VVIP guest house area for my daily walks. Last week, I saw a truckload of logs being taken away and the contractor had chopped some trees that were alive. Does the contractor have the permission to take away the wood? The Aarey CEO's office should take action against the contractor," said Bharat Vyas.

Cyclone Tauktae that hit the city in June had damaged several trees inside Aarey. Sources said the contractor has been asked to clear the fallen ones and remove the branches that are hanging dangerously. However, the contractor is targeting perfectly healthy trees, alleged green lovers.

Another nature lover said, "To trim or remove any tree in Aarey, permissions would be needed from the BMC or the forest department for certain spots. The contractor doesn't have either of these permissions. They only have a letter from Aarey ex-CEO which is invalid."

Sanjeev Valsan, who too is committed to the green cause, said, "We hope the current CEO will take corrective action and inform the police and Aarey dairy security that tree cutting and trimming permissions are valid only if they are given by the relevant BMC ward office."