Once a beloved haven for families and school trips, Mumbai's Picnic Point Garden in Aarey Colony has undergone a drastic transformation, raising concerns about environmental degradation and the encroaching tide of commercialization. Lush green spaces are steadily giving way to profit-driven ventures, eroding the precious green lung of Mumbai's urban sprawl.
LokmatTimes.com visited the garden and examined the overall changes done in the garden over the years. The garden reportedly opened in the 1960s, serving as a venue for school picnics and family outings. Managed by Aarey Dairy, it also served as a marketing space for Aarey dairy products. "Aarey Dairy and Picnic Point Garden both saw a golden era. However, everything began to decline after 2012 when Aarey Dairy outsourced maintenance to a private contractor. Despite a brief return to dairy management in 2015, subsequent changes led to the current commercialization of the once-serene space," said the Aarey resident, who spent his childhood here. In 2016, the private company conducted another survey of the area, eventually assuming maintenance control in October 2022. Aarey Dairy awarded the garden's management to a private entity, Priyanka Elite Services, which further sublet the space to various third parties for events like office parties and birthdays, earning hefty profits from the commercialization as per the Ramesh(name changed), a resident of Aarey. Further added, "The garden's original tranquillity has been marred by the addition of a marriage hall, adventure sports, and rides for kids. All these activities ate up green space just to concretise the space. Within 14 months, the garden underwent a significant transformation, this commercialization starkly contrasts with the garden's former appearance. The contractor reportedly pays 2.5 lakhs to Aarey. This arrangement has led to the exploitation of the green space for profit. Additionally, the garden's newly constructed cricket turf was destroyed just four days after its inauguration, leading to the felling of numerous trees, according to residents.
Picnic Point begins at the edge of Dinkar Rao Desai Marg and merges into the jungles of Aarey, where one can wander into tribal hamlets like Burikana pada. The garden reportedly opened in the 1960s, serving as a venue for school picnics and family outings. Previously, the garden and forest appeared indistinguishable, save for the addition of a lake and a few children's rides, which enhanced its charm. However, much of this greenery has now been replaced with grey zones. Ramesh added," The garden's once bustling monthly influx of 5,000 to 7,000 visitors, has declined now. " The current influx of people is 200 to 300 on Sundays and 40 to 50 on regular days," said an authority associated with the Picnic Point Garden. Ramesh mentioned, "My mother, who was a staunch guardian of the garden for over 50 years, never allowed even a single plant to be disturbed. Ironically, the neglect that once allowed the garden to thrive has now been replaced by a misguided approach to maintenance, resulting in its deterioration."
Aarey Environmentalist Sanjiv Valsan said, "In 2020, we planted at least 100 trees in the garden, each adorned with a ribbon, yet most of them are now untraceable. We couldn't address the cutting of trees because, at the same time, we were protesting against the Aarey car-shed project. It was so much cooler, completely covered with green and now all you can find is concrete and debris dumped in the garden area."My mother, who was a staunch guardian of the garden for over 50 years, never allowed even a single plant to be disturbed. Now, the contractor had no permission to cut trees, but 100+ trees were cut just to avail land for installing a kid's game zone. The marriage hall was built right after acquiring the tender. Now Picnic Point cannot be called a garden anymore, it has become a commercialised entertainment park.