Aaditya Thackeray attacks government over tree felling for Torrent project in Karjat, to meet locals

Politics in Maharashtra has heated up over the felling of trees in the Konkan. Aaditya Thackeray, a leader of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), has sharply criticised the state government's environment-related policies. He has targeted the government over reports that thousands of trees are being cut for a Torrent company project.

Thackeray is visiting Karjat today. There he will speak to local residents and put forward his position on the tree felling. According to him, the visit will be used to hear people's objections and concerns.

Thackeray said, "The Chief Minister has decided to turn Maharashtra into a desert." He alleged that trees are being cut on a large scale in the name of development. He said a balance between development and the environment must be maintained while setting up projects. The tree felling for the Torrent project has now become a subject of political debate.

There is also a dispute over the numbers. The figure under discussion is 48,000 trees, but Thackeray claims this figure exists only on paper. According to him, 400,000 to 500,000 trees may actually be felled. This claim has not been independently established, so the official figures and the project documents will need to be examined.

A 3,000 MW pumped storage hydroelectric project of Torrent Power has been proposed in the Sai Dongar, Pali Tarfe Kotwal and Khalati areas of Karjat taluka. Reports say permission has been given to fell 32,490 trees for it, and about 233 hectares of forest land will be used. The draft environmental impact assessment report on the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board's website mentions the removal of about 48,000 trees and other vegetation. This is why different figures appear.

The Forest Department says the tree felling under way at the project site has no direct link to the Bhimashankar Sanctuary. The government claims the project site is about 16 km from the sanctuary. The Forest Department has rejected the claim of illegal tree felling inside the sanctuary. Experts nevertheless say that forest outside a sanctuary also has environmental importance.

According to the state government, 90,000 trees are planned to be planted in return. Of these, 30,000 will be for compensatory afforestation and 60,000 in the project's green belt and other places. However, counting trees alone does not settle whether the loss is made good, because old large trees and new saplings are not equal in environmental terms.

The felling could affect biodiversity, wildlife habitat, soil, water sources and local people's livelihoods. These are, however, possible risks, and it cannot be said that every impact will actually occur. All eyes are now on what issues people raise during the Karjat visit and how the exchange of charges between the ruling side and the opposition develops.