Sapkal threatens court action over Torrent Power project in Raigad's Karjat

Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal on Thursday warned that he would approach the court against Torrent Power's proposed project in the Karjat-Bhimashankar area of Raigad district. Sapkal alleged that the project would lead to large-scale felling of trees in the Sahyadri region.

Sapkal visited the proposed project site and spoke to villagers. He then accused the BJP-led Mahayuti government of allowing large-scale tree felling to push the project forward.

"The BJP-led Mahayuti government is compromising the natural heritage of the Sahyadri region for the benefit of a Gujarat company. The government's claim that the project will provide thousands of jobs and that lakhs of trees will be planted elsewhere to make up for the felling is hollow," Sapkal said.

He also referred to the state government's earlier promise of planting 33 crore trees and questioned what had happened to that initiative.

Citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam" campaign, Sapkal said the Congress had planted trees in the Karjat forest under the same initiative.

"This (power) project is not in the interest of Maharashtra. The government is misleading people about its impact on jobs and the environment. How will a project that the government describes as extremely advanced in technology create thousands of jobs?" Sapkal asked.

The project is called the Saidongar-1 Pumped Storage Project and is proposed in Karjat tehsil. It is a 3,000 MW hydro-energy scheme with an estimated investment of Rs 13,505 crore. It is said to support grid reliability and the energy security of Maharashtra and other regions. The site is about 16 km from the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary and about 20 km from the Bhimashankar temple.

Amid the concerns raised over the environment, Torrent Power defended the project on October 25. The company said the project is about 16 km from the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary and that all its components lie outside the sanctuary and its eco-sensitive zone.

The company also said that as the share of solar and other renewable energy grows, the project will help keep the grid stable and reduce dependence on coal-based power during evening peak hours. It rejected reports of tree felling inside the sanctuary as based on incorrect information.

Meanwhile, according to a Congress statement, Sapkal is due to join a public agitation on Friday against the proposed Vadhavan port in Palghar district.