The Raigad tree felling controversy intensified after Maharashtra minister Ashish Shelar assured reporters that all industrial projects in the state, including Torrent Power’s proposed hydroenergy project, would follow environmental norms, while Opposition parties and activists continued to challenge the scale of forest diversion.
Shelar said on Sunday that he was not fully aware of the details of the Torrent project but assured that any industry coming to Maharashtra would follow environment-friendly practices. He was responding to criticism from Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray over the proposed Saidongar-1 Pumped Storage Project in Karjat tehsil of Raigad district.
The 3,000 MW project is expected to support grid reliability and energy security in Maharashtra and other regions. It involves a proposed investment of Rs 13,505 crore. The project has drawn opposition because of the planned diversion of forest land and the felling of trees in the project area.
According to an official cited in the report, the Union Environment Ministry granted final approval on October 6 for the diversion of 233 hectares of forest land and the felling of 48,000 trees. The approval and the conditions attached to it have become central to the dispute between the project’s supporters and its opponents.
Thackeray alleged on Saturday that thousands of trees were being indiscriminately felled and questioned the permissions granted by the Forest Department. He also accused the authorities of giving priority to private companies over environmental concerns and objections from local residents. Environmental groups and Opposition parties, including the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, have opposed the proposed tree felling.
Kailash More, leader of the Karjat Paryavaran Bachao Samiti, said the organisation would stage a protest if tree felling was not stopped. The group’s position places the immediate focus on whether work connected to the project will proceed while local objections remain active.
Shelar also criticised Thackeray, alleging that the previous Shiv Sena (UBT)-led government had failed to act against polluting companies in Mumbai. He referred to National Green Tribunal orders concerning companies in the Mankhurd-Govandi areas that had reportedly been fined and warned about causing pollution. The allegations were made in response to Thackeray’s environmental criticism and were not accompanied in the report by further details of the cases.
Maharashtra Minister of State for Power Meghna Bordikar defended the project’s clearances on Saturday. She said the Union Power Ministry had approved the project because of the state’s growing electricity demand and that it had received clearance after complying with conditions laid down by the Union Environment and Forest Ministry. Bordikar accused Thackeray of creating confusion by opposing the project on the basis of incomplete information.
The dispute now involves three overlapping questions: the project’s contribution to electricity supply, the conditions governing the diversion of 233 hectares of forest land, and the concerns raised by residents and environmental groups over the loss of 48,000 trees. The authorities’ next actions on project implementation and the proposed protest will determine the immediate course of the controversy.
