Mumbai, Oct 29 Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal on Thursday threatened to move court against the proposed power project by Torrent in Karjat-Bhimashankar in Raigad district.
After inspecting the site and interacting with local villagers, Sapkal accused the BJP-led Mahayuti government of allowing large-scale tree-felling for the project.
“The BJP-led Mahayuti government is compromising the Sahyadri region’s natural heritage for the benefit of a Gujarat-based company. The government’s claims that the project would generate thousands of jobs and that lakhs of trees would be planted elsewhere to compensate for the felling are hollow,” Sapkal claimed.
He also questioned the outcome of the state government’s earlier pledge to plant 33 crore trees, asking what had happened to the initiative.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign, Sapkal said the Congress had planted trees in the Karjat forest in the name of the initiative.
“The (power) project is not in Maharashtra’s interest. The government is misleading people about its employment potential and environmental impact. How would the project, described by the government as technologically advanced, generate thousands of jobs,” he questioned.
The proposed hydro-energy project is 16 km from Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary and 20 km from Bhimashankar Temple. The project, proposed in Karjat tehsil, is the Saidongar-1 Pumped Storage Project, a 3,000 MW hydro-energy initiative. It is expected to contribute to grid reliability and energy security in the state and other regions. It envisages an investment of Rs 13,505 crore.
On Sunday, Torrent Power defended its proposed 3,000-megawatt pumped storage project against environmental concerns, saying it is located about 16 km from Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary and that all its components fall outside the sanctuary and its eco-sensitive zone.
It said the project would support grid stability as the share of solar and other renewable energy rises, while reducing reliance on coal-fired generation during evening peak hours. It rejected reports of tree felling inside the sanctuary, describing them as based on incorrect information.
Sapkal is also scheduled to participate in a public agitation against the proposed Vadhavan port in Palghar district on Friday, a Congress statement said.
(PTI News)
