Mumbai: Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik has said he is examining ways to preserve as many trees as possible at the site of Torrent Power's proposed pumped-storage project in Saidongar, Raigad district. The forest department had earlier granted permission for the felling of 32,490 trees for the Rs 13,500-crore project, but the tree-cutting exercise was halted last week following strong opposition from citizens and political parties.
Speaking to reporters in Vashi on Saturday, Naik said the permission for the project had been granted before he took charge of the Forest Department. He added that he was reviewing the details and exploring measures to minimise the environmental impact.
“I am looking into how maximum trees can be preserved at the site and how more trees can be planted for those that have been cut,” he said, adding that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had already expressed the government's position on the issue.
Fadnavis has defended the project, describing it as environmentally sustainable and saying the Sahyadri range is suitable for its development. On October 25, the Chief Minister accused the Opposition of spreading a “fake narrative” over the proposed tree felling in Karjat taluka of Raigad district.
The Chief Minister said the project had been planned after considering the interests of different sections of society and maintained that no one's livelihood would be affected. He also said that anyone whose livelihood was impacted would be considered for appropriate rehabilitation and that the project would be implemented within the legal framework.
Government Defends Project, Cites Clean Energy Benefits
Explaining the need for the project, Fadnavis said renewable energy sources such as solar and wind do not generate electricity round the clock, which can affect grid stability. He cited the project's proposed 3,000 MW capacity and argued that generating an equivalent amount of power through coal would require extensive compensatory plantation to mitigate pollution.
The state government has also said the project would attract an investment of Rs 30,000 crore and help Maharashtra secure 12,000 MW of clean energy. It is based on pumped-storage technology and is intended to support the integration of renewable energy into the power grid.
On environmental safeguards, the government said the project would require 233 hectares of land, while Torrent Power had already handed over 253 hectares to the Forest Department. The compensatory plantation plan includes 60,000 trees to be planted by the company and another 30,000 by the Forest Department, taking the proposed total to 90,000 trees.
The government has further stated that the project site is around 16 km from Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary and 20 km from the Jyotirlinga temple, and falls outside the notified Eco-Sensitive Zone.
According to government estimates, the project could prevent the burning of 4.6 million tonnes of coal annually and save 19.7 billion litres of cooling water every year, equivalent to the annual water requirement of around four lakh people.
However, the proposal has triggered protests by environmental activists and opposition parties over the scale of tree felling and its potential impact on the region's ecology. With the tree-cutting halted, Naik's review is expected to bring the focus back to the government's efforts to balance the project's energy objectives with environmental concerns.
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