Raj Thackeray urges Karjat youth to lead protest against 3,000 MW pumped storage project

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Wednesday appealed to the people of Karjat, especially the youth, to come together and lead an agitation against the proposed 3,000 MW pumped storage project. He made the appeal after tree felling began at the project site.

Thackeray visited the affected area during the day and then addressed a meeting in Karjat. He said those opposing a project that damages the area's natural environment would have his support. "The people of Karjat and the youth should together run an agitation against this project, and I will stand behind them," he said.

The project requires 32,490 trees to be felled. Local residents and political leaders are opposing it on this account. They are worried about the impact on the environment, and also fear that villagers will be displaced.

Thackeray also put out a post in Marathi on social media. He wrote that on 28 October he had gone to the spot in Karjat where, for a power project of the company Torrent, forests were being cut down on a massive scale. He alleged that all this was being done to get the work handed to a Gujarat company. He also wrote that he would speak at length at the meeting at the Police Ground in Karjat in the evening.

Describing his visit to the site, Thackeray said he was pained to see the felled trees. "When I went where the trees have been cut, I saw heaps of dead trees. I felt bad, as if I had come to the funeral procession of the trees," he said. He alleged that the project was being carried out to benefit Gujarat businessmen.

Thackeray questioned the very need for the project. "I do not understand what the need for this project is," he said. He also criticised Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the deputy chief ministers for not taking any stand against it.

In his speech, Thackeray also spoke to the labourers from Wada and Jawhar who had been brought here for the tree-cutting work. He warned that similar projects could in future threaten the environment and livelihoods in their own areas. "Tomorrow the same situation could befall you in Wada and Jawhar," he said.

Thackeray also read out a list of renewable energy projects proposed in the Sahyadri and other parts of Maharashtra. He alleged that of the 23 projects proposed in the Sahyadri, only three belong to the Centre, while the other 20 are linked to private entities. Referring to 236 renewable energy projects, he argued that the growing power needs of upcoming data centres are driving these projects. He alleged that the government may try to persuade protesters by citing a power shortage.

Thackeray also appealed to young people on social media to save the environment. He asked people to unite against projects feared to harm the environment. He advised youth to be careful when posting photos and videos of natural places on social media.

According to Thackeray, the MNS, Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) are together opposing the destruction of the area's natural environment. He asked why the other political parties were not visible in the agitation. He also appealed to the police not to side with activities that damage the environment.

Earlier on Wednesday, Thackeray reached the site where tree felling has begun for the proposed 3,000 MW pumped storage project. There he spoke to villagers said to be facing displacement or loss of land. He was accompanied by several people, including MNS leaders Bala Nandgaonkar, Avinash Jadhav and Sandeep Deshpande.

Earlier, on Monday, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, party MP Sanjay Raut and other leaders also visited the site and met the affected villagers.

The project has now become a matter of political tussle. Opposition parties are raising concerns about the tree felling, land acquisition and the possible environmental consequences of the proposed development.

Leaders of the ruling alliance, including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, have accused the protesters of spreading a false narrative. They have also listed the benefits the project would bring to Maharashtra and its people. The claims on both sides have sharpened the debate over balancing renewable energy infrastructure, development needs and environmental protection in the Sahyadri region.