MUMBAI: With the forest department handing out permission to chop over 32,000 trees for a proposed 3,000-MW hydroelectric project in Saidongar and nearby areas in Karjat, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray and NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar have added their voices to those of thousands of protesting locals. Expressing concern about the environmental effect of this action on an area that connects Mumbai and Pune, the duo lambasted the central and state governments for permitting tree-cutting on such a large scale.
Aaditya hit out at the Maharashtra government for not paying heed to local opposition and being indifferent to the environmental consequences of the project. “Under whose blessings is this slaughter proceeding? Under whose pressure exactly did the forest department grant permission? When will this agenda of ravaging Maharashtra’s Nature to fill the pockets of private companies come to a halt? Aaditya further questioned whether the tree-cutting rush was for the groundbreaking ceremony scheduled in November at the hands of PM Narendra Modi. “This dense forest is the rightful home of the barking deer—Maharashtra’s state animal—along with leopards, wild boars, otters, crabs, and hundreds of rare bird species. But with the slaughter of these trees, they are now being rendered completely homeless. The NCP (SP) leader warned that a naturally beautiful area like Karjat, which plays a major role in maintaining the climate balance of Mumbai and Pune, would see its environmental equilibrium disrupted if its forest wealth was destroyed, and the very survival of the local Adivasi communities would become a serious issue. “Does the prime minister approve of such ‘development’ achieved by destroying the forest in this manner?
“Drought has ravaged 265 talukas but the BJP regime has taken it upon itself to fell forests and turn Maharashtra into a desert! Rohit Pawar said that on paper, the number of trees were 32,000 but would soon shoot up to 100,000. Torrent has proposed a 3,000 MW Saidongar-I hydroelectric project in Karjat taluka. Earlier reporting noted: According to a formal document from the Maharashtra state forest department, signed by Karjat division forest officer Sameer Shinde on Oct 14, 2026, permission was given to clear 32,490 trees in the forest areas. The document also mentions that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Karjat on Nov 3 to lay the foundation stone of the project. Earlier reporting noted: NatConnect Foundation has requested Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to review the project’s environmental implications, saying it would involve the diversion of 233 hectares of forest land, which would impact the Saidongar area’s natural wealth and wildlife and have implications for local communities.
“Cutting of thousands of trees for the hydroelectric project of Gujarat’s ‘Torrent Power’ company is blatantly underway, wiping out the rich natural bounty in the Saidongar area and trampling the opposition of locals and environmentalists underfoot,” he said on X. “Doesn’t this government notice that while filling the pockets of its builder friends and owners, Maharashtra itself is getting harmed?” he questioned. “It’s not merely tree-felling; it is the end of an entire ecosystem, and humanity will have to bear its grave consequences in the future,” he said. Rohit added that the valuable medicinal plants, rare insects, and the distinctive biodiversity that adorned the Sahyadri ridge were on the path to permanent destruction due to this “senseless massacre”. “And as if that weren’t enough, the powerful blasts for tunnelling through the mountains for this project will weaken entire sections of the hills, posing a risk of a repeat of the Malin or Irshalwadi disasters in the future,” he said. “On November 3, the project is set to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister himself, and until then, they intend to wipe out the entire forest here,” he said.
Earlier reporting noted: Maharashtra minister of state for power Meghna Bordikar hit back, stating the project received the go-ahead after “complying with all conditions laid down by the Union Environment and Forest Ministry.
Meanwhile, minister of state for energy Meghna Bordikar’s justification was that the trees were cut after “due permission” was taken. “Opposition leaders like Aaditya Thackeray should not block a development project,” she said.
