The Maharashtra government has decided to take back a 33-acre land parcel in Aarey Colony that was previously allotted for a slum rehabilitation project, following a Bombay High Court ruling prohibiting any construction activity within the ecologically sensitive area.
The land, located at Survey No. 589-A in Pahadi village, Goregaon, had been leased to Bamco Tech Private Limited as part of a joint venture intended to rehabilitate slum residents. However, according to a government resolution issued by the Dairy Development Department, the allotment has now been withdrawn as development on the site is no longer permissible under prevailing environmental regulations.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has approved the cancellation of the allotment.
Aarey Milk Colony, one of Maharashtra’s three state-owned dairy estates, is widely regarded as one of Mumbai’s last remaining large green lungs. The land parcel became the subject of legal scrutiny through a public interest litigation filed before the Bombay High Court, which challenged the proposed rehabilitation project on the grounds that the site falls within a No Development Zone.
In its judgment delivered on July 11, 2025, the court ruled that no construction activity could be undertaken on the land and directed authorities to preserve the area as a green zone.
The decision is also consistent with environmental safeguards already in place. In December 2016, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change notified Aarey Milk Colony as an eco-sensitive zone. Additionally, Mumbai’s Development Plan 2014-2034 designates the area as a green zone, effectively restricting construction and rehabilitation activities within its limits.
Environmental activists welcomed the move, arguing that the land should remain protected due to its ecological significance and proximity to the adjoining forest ecosystem.
Sanjiv Valsan of the Save Aarey movement said, “Aarey is recognised by the government and civil society as an ecologically important area for Mumbai. It is a part of the ecologically sensitive area of Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The dairy development department can resettle slum dwellers outside Aarey. This space must be for afforestation.”
Source: Swarajya
