A Maharashtra forest department order has authorised the immediate removal of 32,490 trees in Karjat, Raigad district, for the proposed 3,000 MW Saidongar-I Karjat Off-Stream Open Loop Pumped Storage Project, prompting questions from Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut over the timing and scale of the clearance.
Raut shared on X a letter dated October 14 issued by Sameer Shinde, Range Forest Officer, Karjat East. According to the letter, permission has been granted to remove trees affected by the approved project proposal being developed by Torrent PSP 3 Private Limited.
The project covers villages including Pali, Kotal, Khalati, Saidongar and Dhak in Karjat taluka. The forest department communication refers to approvals for the diversion of 233 hectares of forest land. This includes 197.0272 hectares of reserved forest, 26.066 hectares of private forest and 9.9068 hectares of protected forest, according to the report.
The letter directs that tree removal must remain restricted to the 32,490 trees covered by the approved proposal. Officials have also been instructed to ensure that no additional trees are felled and that the conditions attached to the approval are not breached.
It further says that, in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposed visit on November 3, 2026, for the project’s inauguration ceremony, the affected trees within the project area should be removed immediately. The communication also directs the concerned forest guard to classify the timber and other material obtained from the felling and store it at a suitable location.
The order does not direct the removal of all trees in the Bhimashankar region. Its stated scope is limited to the trees listed in the approved project proposal and the project area identified in the forest department communication.
Raut questioned Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the order’s timing and asked whether the communication was genuine. He alleged that the trees were being cut ahead of the proposed Prime Minister’s visit and said that forests, water and land did not belong to any political party. He also tagged senior advocate and BJP-nominated Rajya Sabha MP Ujjwal Nikam in his post, asking him to respond to the issue.
The project has faced criticism from Opposition leaders and environmental activists over the extent of forest cover that would be affected. The immediate dispute centres on whether the approved tree removal is being carried out within the project’s sanctioned limits and how the environmental conditions attached to the diversion approval will be enforced.
The forest department’s letter requires officials to prevent any felling beyond the approved list and to manage the resulting timber and other material. The proposed November 3 project-related visit is the next stated milestone in the communication.
