The authorities seem to be on the fence about following the rules when it comes to Aarey Colony. They won't allow tribal residents and dairy owners to repair their crumbling homes and barns because of a ban on construction work in the eco-sensitive zone. But for some reason, it doesn't seem to bother them when a private developer allegedly puts up fences around a 33-acre plot.

Sources from the Aarey CEO's office said the 33.6-acre plot in the Pahadi Goregaon area had been handed over to a private developer in 2006. The plot had been earmarked for the resettlement and rehabilitation of 6,720 hutments found in Aarey in a survey before 1995. However, the project never took shape once Aarey was declared an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) and no-development zone (NDZ).