The BMC is set to begin asphalting the Aarey Milk Colony road stretch from the VIP Guest House to Picnic Point, which was originally planned to be constructed with cement concrete. Switching to asphalt may hinder the inclusion of wildlife underpasses recommended by the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). On Monday, mid-day visited the stretch between the VIP Guest House and Picnic Point and found that the BMC had started removing the top layer of the existing asphalt road over a 200-300 metre stretch.

On August 2, mid-day reported (BMC’s Aarey road switch risks wildlife underpasses) that the BMC had planned to upgrade the Aarey colony’s main road to a cement concrete (CC) road. However, the 3-kilometre stretch from the VIP Guest House to Powai, known for wildlife crossings, was at risk of not receiving the proposed underpasses. Due to the narrow road and heavy traffic, the BMC is considering using asphalt instead, which would mean 14 planned underpasses would not be constructed, endangering wildlife, including leopards.