Aarey Milk Colony is the reserve area of Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Lying on the outskirts of this massive National Park, the only National Park that is within a city anywhere in the world, Aarey Milk Colony was once the preserve of milch cattle. There were plots allocated to units that maintained and ran a milk supply scheme. Milk was bought from these units, bottled and sent for distribution all over the city. This was prior to the White Revolution that swept the country.
Aarey was once the back of beyond as Bombay ended at Mahim Causeway for all practical purposes.
Times changed and as the population of the city exploded, the city expanded rapidly beyond Mahim to reach as far as Dahisar on the western side.
Aarey then became an area that fell under the gaze of hungry land mafia for housing purposes.
Almost all top politicians have eyed this area with plans to commercialize it.
One recent attempt was made by BJP/Shiv Sena Government to slowly take over the outskirt a few acres at a time. The government of Devendra Fadnavis gave away part of this land for the Metro Railway project.
The environmentalists went up in arms but the BJP led government did its maximum to ensure that the commercialization of area started to take shape. It fought legal cases and even when it got a temporary order, worked over night to cut thousands of trees.
Times changed, a new government came in. Shiv Sena, although part of the earlier alliance, had promised to restore status quo ante. And it has come good on that promise.
The metro yard has been scrapped and the CM, Uddhav Thackeray has declared 800 Acres of Aarey Land as Reserve Forest.
All criminal cases registered against the activists who were protesting the yard have been withdrawn.
For the time being citizen vigilantism has won. But there are many more dangers that lurk while the dacoits are around. The citizens have to keep their eyes and ears open lest the already congested city is made into an unbearable hell hole.