The Bombay High Court will conduct a final hearing in 10 days on petitions challenging proposed tree felling and other infrastructure works linked to the Nashik Kumbh Mela, including the planned Sadhugram and exhibition centre at Tapovan.
The matter was heard on Thursday by a bench comprising Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Adwait Sethna. The court directed all parties to submit their positions before the next hearing.
The Nashik Municipal Corporation told the court that the petitions include a challenge to the stay imposed by the National Green Tribunal on the proposed felling of thousands of trees for the Sadhugram and the exhibition centre, also referred to as the MICE hub. The civic body said it was seeking removal of the stay so that the works could proceed.
The municipal corporation and the Nashik-Trimbak Kumbh Authority also informed the court that separate petitions had raised objections to other works being undertaken for the religious gathering. The authorities sought an early hearing, stating that the projects had to be completed within the designated timelines for the Kumbh Mela.
According to the civic body’s submission, tree felling was being carried out only after obtaining permission from the relevant authority. It also told the court that some trees would have to be removed for road-widening work.
The petitions place the proposed works within a wider programme of urban infrastructure preparation for the Nashik Kumbh Mela. The Nashik-Trimbak Kumbh Authority said in its petition that the city was being transformed in view of the expected scale of the event. The authority estimated that around 12 crore people could visit Nashik for the Kumbh Mela, compared with the city’s population of approximately 23 lakh to 25 lakh, according to the submission reported before the court.
The dispute involves the balance between preparations for a large public gathering and compliance with environmental and legal permissions. The court has not yet ruled on whether the stay affecting the proposed tree felling should be lifted.
The final hearing is scheduled after 10 days, when the court is expected to consider the submissions of the municipal corporation, the Kumbh authority and the other parties to the petitions.
