Thackeray Sena workers drive off survey team at Saydongar in Karjat over Torrent Power project

Locals and Shiv Sainiks chased away some workers who had come to survey land in the Saydongar area of Karjat taluka. The Shiv Sena Thackeray faction has said clearly that it will not let anyone enter the area. The party alleges that Torrent company's activities continue despite such a large agitation, and that the government is showing the nerve to start a survey. According to the party, the government is promoting the company under the pretext of a survey.

Survey staff had come to the dam premises, where forest had been cleared, to mark the boundary of the land. A transmission line is to be routed to carry the power generated at the dam land and its power project to the whole state. The government has started moves to survey this land.

Locals told Bajirao Dalvi, taluka chief of the Shiv Sena Thackeray faction, that workers who had come for the survey in Karjat were trying to measure the land. Dalvi reached Saydongar at once and chased the workers away. Other Shiv Sainiks were with him. All of them berated the workers.

The worker who attempted the survey gave his name as Babloo Ahirwar and said he is from Madhya Pradesh. He said he had come through a Delhi company to survey a high-tension power line.

Dalvi said that while returning after inspecting the Saydongar area, he saw two workers carrying survey equipment. On being questioned, they said a high-tension power line would pass through the area and the survey was for that. Dalvi said tree felling in the area has been stopped for now and no official decision has been taken on the project. Given the seriousness of the situation, he therefore stopped the workers from carrying out the survey.

Forest staff are posted in the forest for security, but they did not see anyone who had come for a survey. Sameer Shinde, range forest officer of Karjat East division, said the people probably did not reach the forest at all, which is why forest department staff did not see them.

Torrent Power's pumped storage hydroelectric project has a capacity of 3,000 MW. It needs about 370 hectares of land. It was reported in late October that the forest department had stopped the tree felling. This attempt at a land survey has nevertheless angered Thackeray Sena workers and local farmers further.

After tree felling began in the Pali Saydongar area, anger against the project has spread across the state. Environmentalists, the state's ruling Nationalist Congress Party and all Opposition parties have joined the agitation. Leaders of various political parties, environmentalists and social workers have come forward to save the forest. For this reason it was being said that the government would now take a softer stance, but the Thackeray faction says the government continues to clear the way for Torrent Power.