Maharashtra minister Ashish Shelar has assured that all industrial projects in the state will follow environment-friendly practices amid opposition to the proposed felling of 48,000 trees for Torrent Power’s 3,000 MW Saidongar-1 Pumped Storage Project in Raigad.
The project, located in Karjat tehsil, is expected to require the diversion of 233 hectares of forest land. According to an official cited in the report, the Union Environment Ministry issued final approval for the diversion and tree felling on October 6.
Shelar, the state’s Minister for Information Technology and AI, said he was not fully aware of the project’s details but assured reporters that industries coming to Maharashtra would comply with environmental norms. His comments followed criticism from Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray, who alleged that thousands of trees were being indiscriminately felled and questioned the permissions granted by the forest department.
Environmental activists and Opposition parties, including the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, have opposed the scale of tree cutting. Kailash More of the Karjat Paryavaran Bachao Samiti said the group would organise a protest if the felling was not stopped.
The dispute places the project’s stated energy benefits against concerns over forest diversion and local opposition. The Saidongar-1 project is expected to involve an investment of Rs 13,505 crore and contribute to grid reliability and energy security in Maharashtra and other regions. Pumped-storage projects use water reservoirs and elevation differences to store and release electricity, although the supplied report does not provide further technical details about this project’s design or operating arrangements.
Maharashtra Minister of State for Power Meghna Bordikar defended the project, saying the Union Power Ministry had approved it to address the state’s growing electricity demand. She said the project had received clearance after complying with conditions imposed by the Union Environment and Forest Ministry, and accused Thackeray of creating confusion by opposing it on the basis of incomplete information.
Thackeray, however, alleged that the authorities were prioritising private companies over environmental concerns and local opposition. The report does not include the detailed forest-clearance conditions, the proposed mitigation measures, or the project’s implementation timeline. It also does not establish whether tree felling has already taken place across the full approved area or whether work is proceeding in phases.
The immediate issue is therefore not only the project’s capacity but also how the approved forest diversion and its conditions will be implemented and monitored on the ground. The environmental group’s proposed protest and the competing claims by state ministers and Opposition leaders are expected to keep attention on the project as construction and tree-felling decisions proceed.
