Karjat project sparks Maharashtra political faceoff as thousands of trees are cut for 3,000 MW plant

Mumbai: A row has erupted in Maharashtra after the cutting down of thousands of trees for an energy project near the Sahyadri-Western Ghats range. Locals and activists were up in arms after images of felled trees for the 3,000 MW pump storage project in Karjat, Raigad, by Torrent Power began circulating over the weekend. While the Maharashtra government has said that the project is needed to meet the energy needs of the state, political rivals have claimed that the state is favouring the project as the firm is based in Gujarat.

Around 1,800 of the total 32,490 trees have been cut and that has irked many in the state opposed to the project.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray along with party functionaries went to Karjat and interacted with locals. "We are not opposed to development. However, we want one that is sustainable... What is the need to give so much protection to a company? Where does the trail of this company lead to," asked Thackeray referring to its Gujarat links.


The project is seeing widespread opposition, especially among social activists and environmentalists. "Do they want to turn Maharashtra into a desert? The state's forest cover has already come down from 70% to just 35%. If it is an environmentally friendly project, then why are more than 32,000 indigenous trees being cut down?" actor and environmentalist Sayaji Shinde wanted to know.

Shinde slammed the practice of cutting trees in the forest with the promise of planting saplings elsewhere. "This will disrupt the native wildlife. What is the reason for having pumped hydro systems in ecologically sensitive zones," Shinde said. The Maharashtra government had said they would plant 90,000 tree saplings.

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis has defended the project by claiming on Sunday that "the project has received clearance by following all the rules and regulations. There has been a public hearing for several months and only then the nod has been given". He claimed that the project was environment-friendly. BJP on Monday said that "jobless politicians are sabotaging the state's development".

Torrent Power in a statement said the project was not located inside the Bhimashankar Wildlife sanctuary. The Karjat project, according to the company, is more feasible as it requires '52 times' less land than what a conventional hydropower project of a similar scale would require. The project would supply 6,570 million units annually and support the state's power requirement during peak hours.

Torrent Power stated that the project has undergone "detailed studies, public hearing, appraisal by the Expert Appraisal Committee and Forest Advisory Committee and multiple site inspections and clearance conditions" before receiving clearances from the environment and forest departments.

- With inputs from Kalpana Pathak