Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) had claimed in its Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report that the Metro III project would not endanger wildlife in Aarey Colony since there was none near the car depot site. By making this misleading claim, the Metro authorities ensured they got nearly Rs 5,000 crore in funding from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, which only gives the nod to projects that are environment-friendly.

There are photographs of leopard directly overlooking the Metro III car shed site which debunks MMRCL claim that there is no wildlife in Aarey.