A symbolic water protest against tree felling and projects described by activists as environmentally destructive in the Karjat-Bhimashankar region was suspended at Ghodnadi in Ghodgaon after the administration gave a written assurance, protesters said on November 10. The organisers warned that the agitation would intensify if their demands are not addressed within 15 days.
The protest was organised by the Shivbhoomi Sahyadri Bachav Samanvay Samiti, Maharashtra, which has been opposing proposed projects in the Sahyadri hill ranges and the Bhimashankar area. Residents of Pali in Karjat also extended public support and joined the protest site at Bhimashankar, according to the report.
Environmental activists, local residents and nature conservationists have been sitting on an indefinite fast near the Mahadwar at Bhimashankar for the past 10 days. Their principal demands include cancellation of projects they describe as destructive in the Sahyadri ranges, a stay on proposed projects in the Bhimashankar area, including the Torrent project, and effective implementation of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, or PESA.
The protesters said the government and administration had not taken concrete notice of their demands despite the fast continuing for 10 days. The report said the health of two fasting protesters deteriorated and they were admitted to a government hospital for treatment.
Among the specific demands raised was an immediate halt to a survey for a pumped-storage project being conducted by Sri Subramanyam Pesala Reenu Hydro Power, a company based in Gurugram, Haryana. The protesters also sought a detailed inquiry into the matter and asked that competent government representatives hold a direct discussion with those on fast and provide written assurances on their demands.
The agitation has brought together questions about environmental protection, project approvals and the role of local communities in decisions affecting the Bhimashankar sanctuary and the wider Sahyadri landscape. Protesters and villagers said the issue was not limited to the organisers but concerned the ecological future of the region and the environmental rights of future generations.
They further demanded that projects capable of harming the environment in the Sahyadri and Bhimashankar areas should not be implemented unless local consent and applicable legal processes are completed. The administration’s written assurance led to the temporary suspension of the water protest, but the wider fast and demands remain central to the agitation, according to the report.
Assistant police inspector Sagar Pawar, Ghodgaon forest officer Kunal Limkar and revenue official Sitaram Ture were present at the site. Protesters said the administration would have 15 days to fulfil the assurances before they consider intensifying the movement.
