Mumbai: BMC’s Aarey road switch risks wildlife underpasses

Aarey Colony’s main road stretch from the VIP guest house to Picnic Point. Pic/Anurag Ahire

The BMC had planned to convert Aarey Colony's main road to cement concrete, but the three-kilometre stretch from the VIP guest house to Powai, known for wildlife crossings, may not receive the proposed underpasses. Due to the narrow road and traffic constraints, the BMC is considering asphalt instead, which would result in 14 underpasses not being built, endangering wildlife including leopards.

A forest department source revealed, "31 wildlife underpasses were proposed for the Aarey Milk Colony road. Of these, 15 have been completed. If the BMC switches to asphalt, the 14 underpasses on the stretch from the VIP guest house to Powai will not be constructed. We have not received an official decision from the BMC yet."

Concreting began in 2022

The BMC began the concreting of Aarey Colony's main road from Goregaon junction to L&T junction in Powai in 2022, with a completion target of 2025. The 4 km section from the Western Express Highway has already been finished. The total budget for the 7.2 km road is Rs 51.6 crore.

The road's culverts are designed to ensure safe passage for wildlife, reptiles, and other creatures. Once the concrete road is completed, speed breakers and signage for speed limits and wildlife crossings will be installed to manage traffic in the forested area. However, high-speed driving on the completed sections has been observed, particularly between the VIP Guest House and other points.

The contract has been divided between two contractors: one for the stretch from Western Express Highway at Goregaon to Filter Pada near the S Ward boundary, and the other for the stretch from Marol to the Picnic Point. The underpasses include small ramps to aid wildlife during the monsoon.

What BMC has to say

"We have not yet decided whether to cancel the plan. The road department could propose repairing this 3 km section with mastic asphalt, as there is no alternative route for this stretch. Traffic police have also indicated that the road cannot be closed for long. We have already accounted for wildlife passes on the 4 km section of concrete road, and if the remaining stretch is asphalted, wildlife passes will not be necessary as the road height will be unchanged," said Additional Municipal Commissioner Abhijeet Bangar.