Shelar defends Torrent Power Raigad project, says Aaditya Thackeray has no right to speak on environment

Maharashtra Information Technology and AI Minister Ashish Shelar on Sunday sought to address concerns over the felling of trees for Torrent Power's hydro-energy project in Raigad. He said every industrial project that comes up in the state will adopt eco-friendly methods.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray had criticised the project. Shelar said the Opposition leader had no moral right to speak on environmental issues. He alleged that the previous government led by the Shiv Sena (UBT) failed to act against polluting companies in Mumbai.

Shelar told reporters, "Aaditya Thackeray has no right to speak on the environment. When he was the state's Environment Minister, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had ordered the closure of companies in the Mankhurd-Govandi areas of Mumbai that had been fined crores of rupees and were said to pose a pollution risk. Despite this, his party and government decided not to act."

Asked about the Torrent Power project, the minister said he did not have full information on it. He nonetheless assured that any industry coming to Maharashtra would follow environmental rules. He said, "I do not have full information on the Torrent project, but I can certainly assure you that every industry coming here will adopt eco-friendly methods."

This is the Saidongar-1 pumped storage project, a 3,000 MW hydro-energy project to be built in Karjat taluka of Raigad district. It is expected to help grid reliability and energy security in Maharashtra and other regions. An investment of Rs 13,505 crore is planned.

Environmental activists and Opposition parties, including the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) led by Raj Thackeray, are protesting the large-scale felling of trees for the project.

On Saturday, Aaditya Thackeray alleged that thousands of trees were being cut indiscriminately for the project. He also questioned the permission given by the Forest Department. He further accused officials of giving private companies priority over environmental concerns and the opposition of local residents.

Kailash More, a leader of the Karjat Paryavaran Bachao Samiti, said the group's members would launch an agitation if the tree felling was not stopped. According to an official, the Union Environment Ministry gave final approval on October 6 for the use of 233 hectares of forest land and the felling of 48,000 trees for the project.

State Minister of State for Power Meghna Bordikar on Saturday accused Thackeray of spreading confusion among people by opposing the project on the basis of incomplete information. She said, "Given the state's rising demand for electricity, the Union Power Ministry has approved it, and the project got the green signal only after all conditions of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests were met."

Bordikar asked Thackeray to stop obstructing development work and to understand the facts before criticising the project. According to her, the project is vital to meet Maharashtra's growing power needs.