Tree felling for hydropower project in Raigad sparks protests
Nearly 1,100 trees were cut at Saidongar hill for a Rs 13,505 crore pumped-storage plant, according to The Indian Express.
Nearly 1,100 trees were felled at Saidongar hill in Karjat before operations were halted last week, according to The Indian Express. The felling began on Dussehra morning to clear land for a 3,000-MW pumped-storage hydropower plant being built by Torrent Power.
The project, which is expected to be operational by 2029, will cost Rs 13,505 crore. It requires 377 hectares along the Sahyadri range in Raigad district and more than 32,000 trees. The plant is intended to reduce Maharashtra's dependence on coal-fired power.
Villagers from six hamlets, including Pali, have protested the felling. Vishnu Shankar Pawar, a 52-year-old resident of Pali village, said they are currently selling existing firewood stocks but do not know how they will sustain themselves once that is exhausted.
Community leader Nana Barku, 72, said the tribal community cannot survive without the forest. He stated that if the forest is gone, their way of life will be gone with it.
The Indian Express reported that tribal families who depend on the forest were never recorded as such. Forest officials told the outlet that the Gram Sabha never submitted records of families depending on the forest, so the land was cleared for the project on the basis that no one required compensation or relocation.