Sena (UBT), NCP (SP) back protests against felling of 32,000 trees in Karjat

The ₹13,500-crore project, being executed by the Gujarat-based Torrent Power requires the hacking of 32,000 trees on 370 hectares of land.

With the forest department handing out permission to chop over 32,000 trees for a proposed 3,000-MW hydroelectric project in Saidongar and nearby areas in Karjat, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray and NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar have added their voices to those of thousands of protesting locals. Expressing concern about the environmental effect of this action on an area that connects Mumbai and Pune, the duo lambasted the central and state governments for permitting tree-cutting on such a large scale.

Expressing concern about the environmental effect of this action on an area that connects Mumbai and Pune, the duo lambasted the central and state governments for permitting tree-cutting on such a large scale. (AP Photo/ Representational)

The ₹13,500-crore project, being executed by the Gujarat-based Torrent Power in Saidongar, Kotwal Khalati and Pali requires the hacking of 32,000 trees on 370 hectares of land, which includes forest land. After the tree-cutting began a couple of days ago, locals launched protests, the videos of which went viral.

Political leaders weigh in

Political leaders from the Thackeray and Pawar camps have now extended support to them. “If we remain detached from this today, the next generation will not forgive us,” is their slogan. Aaditya hit out at the Maharashtra government for not paying heed to local opposition and being indifferent to the environmental consequences of the project.

“Cutting of thousands of trees for the hydroelectric project of Gujarat’s ‘Torrent Power’ company is blatantly underway, wiping out the rich natural bounty in the Saidongar area and trampling the opposition of locals and environmentalists underfoot,” he said on X. “Under whose blessings is this slaughter proceeding? Under whose pressure exactly did the forest department grant permission? When will this agenda of ravaging Maharashtra’s Nature to fill the pockets of private companies come to a halt?”

Aaditya further questioned whether the tree-cutting rush was for the groundbreaking ceremony scheduled in November at the hands of PM Narendra Modi. “Doesn’t this government notice that while filling the pockets of its builder friends and owners, Maharashtra itself is getting harmed?” he questioned. “Drought has ravaged 265 talukas but the BJP regime has taken it upon itself to fell forests and turn Maharashtra into a desert!”

Rohit Pawar alleges increase in number of trees felled

Rohit Pawar said that on paper, the number of trees were 32,000 but would soon shoot up to 100,000. “It’s not merely tree-felling; it is the end of an entire ecosystem, and humanity will have to bear its grave consequences in the future,” he said. “This dense forest is the rightful home of the barking deer—Maharashtra’s state animal—along with leopards, wild boars, otters, crabs, and hundreds of rare bird species. But with the slaughter of these trees, they are now being rendered completely homeless.”

Rohit added that the valuable medicinal plants, rare insects, and the distinctive biodiversity that adorned the Sahyadri ridge were on the path to permanent destruction due to this “senseless massacre”.

“And as if that weren’t enough, the powerful blasts for tunnelling through the mountains for this project will weaken entire sections of the hills, posing a risk of a repeat of the Malin or Irshalwadi disasters in the future,” he said.

The NCP (SP) leader warned that a naturally beautiful area like Karjat, which plays a major role in maintaining the climate balance of Mumbai and Pune, would see its environmental equilibrium disrupted if its forest wealth was destroyed, and the very survival of the local Adivasi communities would become a serious issue. “On November 3, the project is set to be inaugurated by the PM himself, and until then, they intend to wipe out the entire forest here,” he said.

“Does the PM approve of such ‘development’ achieved by destroying the forest in this manner?”

Meanwhile, minister of state for energy Meghna Bordikar’s justification was that the trees were cut after “due permission” was taken.