October 31, 2025: Environmental activists have raised serious concerns after at least three trucks were seen unloading construction debris inside Aarey Forest and the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) on Wednesday evening. By Thursday morning, around 6,700 sq ft of forest land had reportedly been levelled using soil and debris, prompting calls for immediate intervention from authorities.
According to activist Amrita Bhattacharjee, who visited the site with residents, “The illegal dumping has taken place in the Aarey Forest area from 4:06 pm to 4:21 pm on Wednesday. While tribals living in the area said that dumping has been going on since Sunday, October 29. This is a gross violation of the Forest Act 1927 and Forest Conservation Act 1980.”
Bhattacharjee said that the contractor involved claimed to have forest department permission, but the document reviewed by activists contained no approval for soil dumping. “The contractor insisted that they have permission from the forest department to carry on the work. However, the permission letter accessed by us shows no permission for dumping a truckload of soil. This is to change the topography of the area, and we are afraid, this will damage the fragile ecology of the forest,” she said. She added that a Panchanama prepared by a forest officer recorded 30 metres by 30 metres of land, raised 1.5 metres high, being filled with debris.
Confirming the violation, Range Forest Officer Pradeep Chavan said, “The contractor had taken permission for film shooting. However, no permission was taken for levelling the ground. The debris dumping is illegal, and pachanama is made. Action will be taken against the contractor.”
Meanwhile, resident Nishant Bangera said dumping continues unchecked: “There is huge dumping happening in the forested area of SGNP, destroying the topography of the region. Despite complaints, no one has taken any action.”
Source: The Free Press Journal
