Mumbai: Concerns raised over environmental harm at Aarey cemetery site

A huge concrete structure built inside the cemetery

City-based environmentalists have raised concerns about ongoing environmental degradation in Aarey Colony. They claim that large sections of land have been excavated, with mud being carelessly dumped onto trees both on-site and in an adjacent forested area. The land in question is meant to serve as a cemetery for the Christian community.

Concrete graves being dug at the cemetery site (right) A heap of excavated mud

Stalin D, an environmentalist from NGO Vanashakti, has addressed a formal letter to the principal secretary of the Environment Department, the CEO of Aarey Milk Colony, the collector of Mumbai Suburban, the municipal commissioner, the assistant commissioner of J East Ward, the deputy conservator of forest of the Thane Forest Department, and the chief conservator of forest of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). The letter alleges illegal excavation, mud dumping, and environmental degradation on the cemetery plot located along Aarey-Marol Road.

The letter seeks immediate intervention to halt the degradation. "Large areas have been excavated, and mud has been dumped carelessly onto the trees on the site and the adjoining forested plot. We understand the plot is designated for use as a Christian cemetery, where burials do not require concrete graves. The dead are buried directly in the soil. We firmly state that the cemetery cannot be established through the complete excavation of the site, especially at the cost of killing the trees," Stalin said. He further alleged that a large structure has been erected on the site, and the area is being concretised.

"This activity is impermissible and environmentally destructive. We urge you to inspect the site and take action against any illegal activities. Please ensure that the work complies with the approved plan and has the necessary permission from the Ecologically Sensitive Zone (ESZ) Management Committee. All of Aarey is within the ESZ of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, and the orders of the Hon'ble Supreme Court prohibit the destruction of trees within Aarey," the letter stated. To strengthen his case, Stalin attached photographs and a video of the site in his email, hoping the authorities would better understand the situation.