Mumbai, Oct 24 Environmental activists and opposition parties, including Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Raj Thackeray-led MNS, have come out against the “rampant” cutting of hundreds of trees for Torrent Power’s hydro-energy project in Raigad district of Maharashtra.
Maharashtra Minister of State for Power Meghna Bordikar, however, hit back by asserting that the project received the go-ahead after “complying with all conditions laid down by the Union Environment and Forest Ministry”.
The Saidongar-1 Pumped Storage Project, a 3,000 MW hydro-energy initiative in Karjat tehsil, 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.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said “indiscriminate felling of thousands of trees for the hydroelectric project of the Gujarat company is blatantly underway”.
“Due to whose blessings is this slaughter proceeding? They are wiping out the rich natural bounty in the Saidongar area and trampling the opposition of locals and environmentalists,” Thackeray said on X.
“Locals and rest of the state are against this rampant tree-felling. Under whose pressure did the Forest Department grant permission for it? When will this ravaging of nature to fill the pockets of private companies come to a halt?” he asked.
Why is Maharashtra’s environment being sacrificed in the “mad rush” for the proposed groundbreaking ceremony scheduled next month, the MLA and former state minister questioned.
A local MNS leader expressed concerns over the project’s possible impact on land, forests and water resources.
Kailash More, leader of Karjat Paryavaran Bachao Samiti, an environmental group, said the outfit’s members will stage a protest if the tree felling was not stopped.
Hitting out at Thackeray, minister Bordikar said the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader must stop creating confusion among the public over the proposed pumped-storage hydropower project at Karjat.
He is criticising the project based on incomplete information, Bordikar alleged.
“The Union Power Ministry has approved it in view of the state’s growing electricity demand. The project received clearance after complying with all conditions laid down by the Union Environment and Forest Ministry,” she added.
“I urge Aaditya Thackeray to stop obstructing development works. He should understand facts before criticising a project that is important to meet Maharashtra’s growing power requirements,” Bordikar asserted.
The final approval for diversion of 233-hectare forest land and felling of 48,000 trees was issued on October 6 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the Central government’s nodal agency for environmental and forestry policies and programmes, an official said.
(PTI News)
