Mumbai: Aarey CEO reveals contractor stole power to scare leopards

After contractor is caught stealing power, Aarey CEO reveals that he did so to scare leopards roaming in area; MMRC has denied animal activity in the area

Leopard spotted in the Aarey grassland. File Pic / Prabhu Swami

The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) has been lying and now, its own contractor has exposed it. Nearly a week after Shiv Sena shakhapramukh Sandip Gadhave revealed that an MMRC contractor at the Metro III car shed site in Aarey had secured an illegal power connection for his container cabin, Aarey Milk Colony's CEO Nathu Rathod admitted that the electricity supply was given as a security measure due to "leopard activity in the area". 

This, after the MMRC has repeatedly denied that there is any wildlife in the vicinity of the proposed car shed.
The incident came to light after Gadhave learnt that the MMRC contractor had taken an illegal power connection from a stall owner in Aarey. "It was a clear case of power theft. I immediately informed the police station and the Aarey CEO about it," said Gadhave Following the complaint, police officials, along with Rathod, visited the spot. On August 10, an engineer from the Public Works Department also visited the location and a panchanama was done. However, the police did not file an FIR. "The PWD did not file a complaint and hence, as per procedure, we couldn't go ahead [with an FIR]," a senior official from Aarey Police said.

Proposed car shed site 

What's shocking is that Rathod defended PWD's inaction, arguing that power had been provided to secure workers from leopard activity in the area. He said, "The Aarey Sarita stall owner from where the illegal electricity connection was taken by the contractor of MMRC, has given us a letter, in which he has stated that it was provided on humanitarian grounds. There is leopard activity in the area and the contractual labourers stay in the cabin during the night. The electricity connection has given to prevent any untoward incident."

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