Greens see red in Torrent Power unit in Karjat; actor calls for ‘plate-banging’ stir over tree cutting

Actor Sayaji Shinde. File | Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini Environmental activists led by actor Sayaji Shinde have come together to oppose large-scale felling of trees for a proposed project of Gujarat-based Torrent Power in Karjat taluka of Maharashtra's Raigad district, calling for a united resistance against the move on Monday (October 26, 2026).Mr. Shinde appealed to people not to allow a single tree to be felled for the 3,000 MW hydro-energy project and urged them to drive away those arriving to cut trees by banging plates and bowls, as done during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, in a show of solidarity for the cause.Talking to reporters at the Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh, he said, "If someone comes to cut trees, consider it a disease more dangerous than COVID-19 and drive them away by banging plates and bowls."The veteran actor insisted that cutting trees is akin to "dropping bombs" as it destroys homes of animals and birds."The Sahyadris [a mountain range spanning multiple States, including Maharashtra] are one of the greatest wonders of the world. What are we achieving by destroying the homes of animals and birds by dropping bombs on them in this manner?" Mr. Shinde asked.In Karjat, around 75km away from south Mumbai, a project by Torrent Power is proposed near the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary. Large-scale tree felling is going on for the mega venture, and videos of the exercise are in circulation on social media platforms.During the press conference, environmental activists announced statewide protests involving the banging of plates and bowls to coincide with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ground-breaking ceremony for the ₹13,505 crore project.Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday (October 25) accused the Opposition of creating a fake narrative about the hydro-power project in Raigad district, asserting the unit will produce clean energy and help meet peak electricity demand.Environmental activists and Opposition parties have raised concerns over "rampant" felling of trees for the project.CM Fadnavis noted Maharashtra had developed substantial solar power generation capacity, but solar power was unavailable after 5 p.m., when peak electricity demand sets in."The peak-demand period lasts for around four hours. If we use coal-fired electricity to meet the demand during these hours, it would cause significant pollution," he argued.He insisted the Karjat project will provide electricity without any pollution.Torrent Power has defended its proposed 3,000-megawatt pumped storage project in Karjat against environmental concerns, saying the unit is located about 16km away from the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary and all its components fall outside the sanctuary and its eco-sensitive zone.The company, in a statement on Sunday (October 25), said the project would support grid stability as the share of solar and other renewable energy rises, while reducing reliance on coal-fired generation during evening peak hours. It rejected reports of tree felling inside the sanctuary, describing them as based on incorrect information.Torrent said the project would require about 233 hectares of forest land, adding that its land requirement was around 52 times lower than that of a conventional hydropower project of comparable capacity. The company said the project had received environmental and forest-related statutory clearances following an approval process lasting about 18 months, involving studies, a public hearing, expert appraisal and site inspections.Torrent plans to plant about 60,000 trees across the project’s green belt, muck-disposal site and other areas. It has also identified 253 hectares of private land, with an existing tree cover of about 70,000 trees, and handed it over to the Forest Department as compensatory afforestation land, where a further 30,000 trees are planned, it said. Published - October 26, 2026 07:39 pm IST