Aarey Milk Colony (Teerta Shetty)

The very moment you have a feeling having fresh milk, the only place that comes into your mind in ‘Aarey Milk Colony’. Between heavy traffic and pollution, Mumbai also has some beautiful rejuvenating Gardens, one of which is Aarey Milk Colony. Aarey Milk Colony, founded in 1949, is situated in Goregaon East, a suburb of Mumbai, it falls on the main Ghodbunder Road. The Aarey milk colony is one of the most modern and largest milk colonies in the world. The milkman clans here have been in the trade for decades. Aarey produces nearly seven lakh liters of milk a day, and is a boon to Mumbai as it absorbs huge amounts of carbon dioxide from this polluted and congested city. Apart from being a milk producing center, it is also known for its greenery and beautiful surroundings. The garden is spread over 3160 - 4,000 acres of land and is a good place for tourism. The hill on the entrance to the colony enables the tourists to have an exceptionally beautiful view of the enchanting landscape. Aarey Milk Colony is one of the many attractive tourists’ spots in Mumbai and it is well known for picnics and get - together. It has milk plants, gardens, a nursery and a lake in the vicinity that attracts visitors and makes it a suitable location for a holiday or an excursion. There are snacks counters selling fresh milk, milk products and other food items at reasonable prices. The colony has been used a number of times as a site for film shootings, and now there is a section allotted for the shoots called ‘Film city’, which is an equally well-known tourist spot.

Mumbai’s bustling dairy colony is one of the city’s few remaining green carpets and wildlife heaven. Spread near the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, the doting landscape is an example of serenity giving way to the splendid water bodies, lovingly sharing space with all kind of species getting as close to the nature as one can get. It is a conglomeration of 126 species of birds, 86 species of butterflies, 46 species of reptiles, 13 species of amphibians, 34 species of wild flowers, 16 species of mammals, 5 species of scorpions and several species of spiders.

It also has a small section called ‘Chota Kashmir’ which is a great tourist attraction and a lot of school and college picnics and excursions are organized to this place. The scenic natural beauty of Aarey Milk colony reminded many environmentalists, of the heavenly Kashmir. This prompted them to name it Chota Kashmir. Since this area has become a growing tourist spot, the Government has introduced a toll section and the number of vehicles moving in and out of the place has created a lot of pollution. The environment which once was that of serenity and purity is now polluted.

According to experts, the main objective to erect such a colony was, to supply better quality milk to the citizens of Mumbai at comparatively cheaper rate and maintenance of these animals on scientific and modern animal Husbandry practices. 30 stables are constructed having a capacity for housing 500 to 550 animals in each stable, in the Colony. Each stable has been provided with hay godowns, chaff-cutting sheds, calving lines and residential accommodation for the cattle owner and their staff. At present, Aarey Milk colony has got the capacity of accommodating 16079 cattle in 30 units.

The recent hussle bussle because of the news of the government wanting to open up a tourist zone in Aarey has shaken up the locals and dairy owners along with environmentalists. The government is of the idea of converting the green jungle into a concrete jungle by setting up and developing an entire township with housing societies , entertainment zone with Bollywood style studios, roller coasters and merry-go-rounds, an underground aquarium, commercial buildings ,etc, apart from the dairy institute. This will bring about a huge difference and the beauty of the colony and its rich flora and fauna will be lost eventually, and since it is a no-development zone area and home to several endangered species, Mumbai will be left with no greenery or habitats neither for the endangered species nor for humans.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Bibliography


Simit. Bhagat (2010, July 30). Aarey Of Problems. The Times Of India.


http://dairy.maharashtra.gov.in/index.php?page=ceo


http://www.mapsofworld.com/cities/india/mumbai/aarey-milk-colony.html


http://www.indiatravelite.com/mumbai/aareymilkcolonyintroduction.htm