The Aarey Model: How democracy was saved by popular protests and politicking

Mumbai isn't known for its fiery political environment, in fact its citizens are regularly touted as examples of an apathetic electorate. However the much maligned and often ironically used ‘Spirit of Mumbai’ raised its head when its citizens rallied to protest against the proposed car shed in the green Aarey Colony. The outpour of anger, and strong opposition to the development project’s land usage was unprecedented- and it was effective.

The city’s environment driven protests were led in part by vocal campaigners, their use of social media matching the spirit of the international movement rallying around climate and ecology. It felt like Mumbai was having its Greta Thunberg moment. But that is exactly when the government cracked the whip- scores of citizen protestors arrested, the controversial tree felling done in the dark of night, and all later seemingly upheld by the law.

All tree felling work has ceased at the Aarey Milk Colony. Image via Hindustan Times

What is the Aarey Model

The Aarey Model is explored in this article by The Scroll. It highlights the distinction between the movements around the Aarey Colony and the Coastal Road, and it defines it uniquely as a timely civic intervention driven by strong emotional appeal to the actual forests, its residents, and the collective voices driving the protest that have strategic demands.

The article reveals that the civil demonstrations thrived despite strong government dissuasion, right from mass arrests to social media attacks and disinformation campaigns, but was able to hold on to the national imagination, creating a moral responsibility on the government to ‘respond appropriately’. Indeed much more importantly, the article tells us we have been provided a blueprint to replicate this process as well.

Can we apply the Aarey Model to the Coastal Road?

The question is, what is the emotional narrative around the Coastal Road right now? Is it about ground statistics? about project costs? About policy options? While these make valid and necessary points, they cannot capture popular ‘9pm primetime news’ saturated imaginations. Emotional narratives aren't usually built around plaid facts, they are built around ideas and people. Can we get the response received for the Aarey movement for the Coastal Road project?

Well there are certain things to consider as fact. How can the protests that have been led by mostly high income residents become a popular movement? It can only be done, by including the stakeholders, the real coastal dwellers who have been left out of both the court based litigation and awareness campaigns. The coastal communities have lived in the area since before Mumbai was even a city. How can any conversation about a development project not be spoken of through their unique bond with the coast? It can only be a democratic policy formation process when their voices are included and that includes building them into the narrative on their own terms.

It comes as a surprise to many that Mumbai's coast is a treasure trove of Marine Biodiversity.

Another well intentioned but understated fact is that there also needs to be a greater drive on the hidden biodiversity existing in the expanse of the proposed Coastal Road. As long as its citizens perceive it to be a ‘deadzone’ devoid of life and perspective it cannot be rallied around. Biodiversity is an oft ignored issue in India while framing policy but right now it can dominate the discussion because the government themselves have championed the cause.

How do we hold the Government to the standards they’ve set with Aarey?

Maharashtra’s Environment Minister noted that the Aarey carshed decisions “weren’t to do with politics or ideology, they are to do with the need for a better planet, cleaner environment and the survival of the human race.”

Peaceful protests gained traction but they were met by a government crackdown. Image via DNA India

Noble, but ultimately the reversal of the activist arrests and declaration of Aarey as a ‘reserved forest’ are more to do with the leverage that the movement applied on the government. To find this hidden lever, the Coastal Road movement needs to arrive at an acceptable and effective alternative for all stakeholders- indeed blanket opposition to the project has yielded nothing in tangible results. Even those who wait for the Court’s verdict need to be cautious as it would do well to remember how even in the case of the Aarey tree felling, the Court took a lenient view of the action. “Even the courts today see all infrastructure projects as issues of national importance, so going against an entire project is seen as an attempt to hold the country back.”

- Stalin Dayanand

How do we build a deeper consensus on environmental issues in Mumbai and mobilize popular protests around the Coastal Road?

Consensus cannot come from a zero-sum game- it will come from engaging the powers that be on a platform where they stand to benefit while citizens can safely raise concerns about the processes they think need revisiting. A palatable alternative to the current disruptive Coastal Road model reflects the words of the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for the Aarey project to “redefine development, making it a word that is truly prefixed by “sustainable”, making it a global example for decision-makers.” As citizens, and tax-paying stakeholders in the Coastal Road, it is not as though we are ‘anti-development’. However re-orienting urban policy takes sustained intersectional effort- highlighting the aspects of the project that raise valid concerns - the movement must find options communicating policy alternatives that are community centric yet palatable to the political and administrative authorities overseeing the current disruptive Coastal Road project indeed with the same ferocity that ‘politicking’ uses across the country to win votes and power.

Considering what we may lose if the Coastal Road is built with no representation, it would be worth rethinking the steps ahead, with the coastal communities at the forefront; making demands that are in step with the state government and its newly minted environmental mandate.