The controversy over forest land in Maharashtra’s Karjat region has brought a difficult question into focus: how should the state balance large-scale energy infrastructure with the protection of forests, wildlife and local livelihoods? The debate intensified in October 2026 after allegations that thousands of trees could be affected by the proposed Saidongar-I pumped-storage hydroelectric project in Raigad district.
Public discussion has frequently described the issue as the “Bhimashankar 600-acre tree-cutting controversy.” However, the geographical details matter. The project is associated with the Saidongar area of Karjat taluka, while the Forest Department has separately denied reports of illegal tree felling inside Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary. The two locations should not automatically be treated as the same place.
Official project documents identify approximately 233 hectares of forest land as being required for the proposed project. That is about 576 acres, which explains why reports have rounded the figure to approximately 600 acres. But the amount of forest land involved, the number of trees authorised for removal and the number actually felled are three different figures.
What Is the Bhimashankar 600-Acre Tree-Cutting Controversy?
The controversy concerns the environmental impact of the proposed Saidongar-I Karjat Open Loop Pumped Storage Project, a large energy-storage project planned in Raigad district, Maharashtra. The project is being developed by Torrent PSH3 Private Limited, a subsidiary of Torrent Power.
According to project documents available through the Union government's environmental clearance portal, the proposed project has an installed capacity of 3,000 megawatts (MW). Its development requires a combination of forest and non-forest land for reservoirs and associated infrastructure.
The proposal has attracted attention because of the scale of the forest area involved and concerns raised by political representatives, residents and environmental advocates. Critics have questioned whether the project's location could cause avoidable damage to forest ecosystems and affect communities that depend on the surrounding landscape.
These concerns need to be assessed against official project records, the applicable environmental conditions and evidence from the actual site. The existence of a forest diversion proposal does not, by itself, establish that all the trees mentioned in public reports have already been cut.
Where Is the Proposed Project Located?
The Saidongar-I project is proposed in Karjat taluka of Raigad district, Maharashtra. Government project documents identify several villages in the project area, including Saidongar, Pali, Dhak, Ambot, Potal and Bhaliwadi.
Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary is a separate protected area in the Western Ghats. It is known for its forest ecosystems and the Indian giant squirrel, also called the shekru in Maharashtra.
The association between the two places in public reporting has contributed to confusion. A project in the broader Karjat–Bhimashankar region is not necessarily located within the notified sanctuary. The exact position of a project component must be established using official boundary maps and geographical coordinates.
On 24 October 2026, the Pune Forest Department denied reports that illegal tree felling was taking place inside Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary. Its clarification addressed activity within the sanctuary; it should not be interpreted as a complete finding on every allegation concerning the separate Saidongar project area.
How Much Forest Land Is Involved?
The official project documentation identifies approximately 377 hectares of total land requirement, comprising forest and non-forest land.
| Land category | Approximate area |
|---|---|
| Forest land | 233 hectares (about 576 acres) |
| Non-forest land | 144 hectares (about 356 acres) |
| Total land requirement | 377 hectares (about 931 acres) |
Source: Project documentation submitted through the Government of India's PARIVESH portal. Figures are approximate conversions from hectares to acres.
The frequently mentioned 600-acre figure is therefore a reasonable rounding of the 233-hectare forest-land requirement. It does not mean that 600 acres of trees have been independently confirmed as already felled.
How Many Trees Could Be Affected?
Reports published during the October 2026 controversy cited a figure of more than 32,000 trees associated with the proposed project. Some reports have used the more specific figure of 32,490 trees.
These numbers have become central to the public debate, but readers should distinguish an approved or proposed tree-removal count from a verified count of trees actually cut at the site. The two are not interchangeable.
A reliable assessment of the current situation would require the relevant tree-felling permissions, tree inventories, work records and a site inspection by the competent authorities. These records would help establish how many trees were marked for removal, how many were removed, and whether the work complied with the conditions attached to the approvals.
Claims that hundreds of thousands of additional trees are at risk have also appeared in public discussion. Such broader estimates should be attributed to the individuals or groups making them unless an independently verified survey establishes the number.
Why Is the Pumped-Storage Project Being Proposed?
Pumped-storage hydropower is a form of large-scale electricity storage. It can help balance electricity demand and supply, particularly when renewable energy generation varies throughout the day.
How the technology works
- During periods of surplus electricity: Pumps move water from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir.
- When electricity is needed: Water flows back down through turbines, generating electricity.
- For the power grid: The system can help meet peak demand and provide flexibility as the electricity mix changes.
The proposed Saidongar-I project has an installed capacity of 3,000 MW, according to government project documents. Its intended role is energy storage and electricity generation when required by the grid.
However, the ability of pumped-storage technology to support the electricity system does not remove the need to assess the environmental costs of a particular site. The project's benefits and its impacts on forest land, biodiversity, water systems and communities must be examined together.
Why Are Residents and Environmental Advocates Concerned?
The objections raised during the controversy focus on the possibility that large-scale construction and tree removal could affect an ecologically sensitive landscape. The actual extent of those impacts requires site-specific evidence, but several issues deserve scrutiny.
1. Loss of forest habitat
Forests provide shelter, food and breeding areas for wildlife. Removing trees can fragment habitats, expose animals to disturbance and reduce the continuity of the forest canopy. The consequences depend on the species present, the size and location of the affected patches, and the measures taken to limit damage.
2. Wildlife and biodiversity
The Western Ghats support diverse plant and animal communities. Residents and political representatives have raised concerns about the effects of tree removal on birds, mammals, insects and native vegetation in the project area.
Those concerns should be evaluated through wildlife surveys, biodiversity assessments and monitoring records. A list of species reported from the wider region should not automatically be treated as proof that every species is present in every part of the project site.
3. Water sources and drainage
Forest cover, soil and natural drainage systems interact in ways that can influence runoff, erosion and the movement of sediment into streams. Reservoir construction, excavation and the disposal of construction material can alter these processes.
The extent of any impact on local streams and water availability must be assessed using the project's hydrological studies and monitoring data rather than assumed from the tree count alone.
4. Construction, excavation and slope stability
Large pumped-storage projects may require excavation, access roads, tunnels and the movement of substantial quantities of material. Poorly managed construction can create erosion, dust, noise and slope-related risks.
Controlled blasting, suitable disposal sites, slope protection and ongoing geological monitoring are among the safeguards that may be required, depending on the approved project conditions.
5. Local communities and livelihoods
Forest landscapes can support local livelihoods through agriculture, collection of forest produce, water resources and other activities. Project construction may also change access routes, land use and local economic conditions.
Understanding these effects requires consultation with affected residents, accurate information about land acquisition and a clear account of the safeguards and compensation arrangements applicable to them.
What Has the Forest Department Said?
On 24 October 2026, the Pune Forest Department rejected reports alleging illegal tree felling inside Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary. The clarification followed public allegations linking the proposed energy project with extensive tree cutting in the adjoining region.
The distinction is important: denying illegal activity inside a sanctuary does not automatically resolve questions about forest diversion or tree removal in another area. The location, land classification and applicable permissions must be examined separately.
Reports published on 25 October also quoted officials and political representatives stressing that the Karjat tree-cutting issue should not be confused with activity inside the sanctuary. The precise boundary of the protected area is therefore central to accurate reporting.
For readers following the matter, the most useful evidence would be a mapped comparison of the sanctuary boundary, the project's approved footprint and the locations where tree removal has been reported.
What Do Official Project Records Show?
Government records provide an important starting point for understanding the project beyond political statements and social-media posts.
Documentation on the Union government's PARIVESH portal describes the Saidongar-I Karjat Open Loop Pumped Storage Project as a 3,000 MW development requiring approximately 233 hectares of forest land and 144 hectares of non-forest land.
A Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change document concerning the forest-diversion proposal was considered by the Advisory Committee in a meeting held on 8 May 2026. The document also discusses a change involving compensatory afforestation land.
These records establish that forest diversion and associated approvals are substantive parts of the project's regulatory process. They should be read alongside the relevant final orders and conditions to determine the precise legal status of each permission.
It is also important to distinguish environmental clearance, forest clearance, approval for diversion of forest land and permission to fell individual trees. These are related but different regulatory matters, and the existence of one document does not automatically answer every question about the others.
What Does the Law Say About Tree Cutting Near Bhimashankar?
Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary and its surrounding eco-sensitive zone are subject to specific environmental protections. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change published the final eco-sensitive zone notification for the sanctuary in August 2020, followed by a modification in October 2024.
The notification establishes an eco-sensitive zone extending between 50 metres and 10 kilometres from the sanctuary boundary, with the precise extent varying by location. It regulates activities in the designated area according to the applicable provisions.
The notification also states that tree felling on forest, government, revenue or private land requires prior permission from the competent state authority, in accordance with applicable laws. The exact legal requirements for a particular site depend on its location, land status and the permissions governing the activity.
Consequently, a proper assessment of the Saidongar controversy must establish which rules apply to the specific project land. The fact that a project is discussed in connection with Bhimashankar does not, on its own, determine whether the sanctuary's rules apply to the entire project footprint.
What Should Be Verified Next?
The following records would help establish the facts and answer the principal questions raised by the controversy:
- Final forest-diversion order: The approved area, conditions and current legal status of the forest land proposed for diversion.
- Tree-felling permissions: The number and types of trees authorised for removal, the relevant plots and the conditions attached to the permissions.
- Site inspection reports: An independently documented count of trees already felled, remaining marked trees and the locations of ongoing work.
- Environmental clearance conditions: The required safeguards for biodiversity, water, excavation, muck disposal and construction activity.
- Wildlife management measures: The approved plan for protecting wildlife and monitoring the effects of construction.
- Compensatory afforestation records: The identified land, plantation targets, survival rates and monitoring arrangements.
- Local consultation records: Documented concerns from affected residents and the official responses to those concerns.
These documents would help distinguish what has been authorised, what has actually happened and what remains a prediction about future impacts.
Can Compensatory Plantation Replace a Natural Forest?
Compensatory afforestation is one of the mechanisms used to address forest diversion. Depending on the applicable approval conditions, it may involve planting trees on designated land, restoring vegetation and monitoring the establishment of new growth.
However, a plantation is not an immediate ecological equivalent of a mature natural forest. Established forests contain complex relationships among trees, soil organisms, fungi, insects, birds, mammals and water systems. Those relationships develop over long periods and cannot be recreated simply by counting saplings.
For this reason, the quality and location of compensatory planting matter alongside the number of trees planted. Native species, suitable soil and water conditions, long-term survival and protection from further disturbance all influence whether a restoration programme succeeds.
Compensatory afforestation should therefore be assessed as one part of environmental mitigation, not as automatic proof that the ecological effects of forest removal have been fully offset.
What the Bhimashankar Forest Row Means for Maharashtra
The controversy highlights the challenge of developing energy infrastructure in a state with ecologically important landscapes and growing electricity needs. Pumped-storage projects can provide useful flexibility to the power grid, but their value must be considered alongside the land, water and biodiversity impacts associated with construction.
For the Saidongar-I proposal, the central questions are specific: how much forest land is actually required, what tree removal has been authorised, how much work has taken place, and whether all applicable environmental conditions are being followed.
It is equally important to identify the exact project location rather than using the name of a nearby sanctuary as a substitute for geographical verification. Clear maps, publicly accessible approvals and independent site inspections would make it easier for residents and readers to understand the situation.
As of 26 October 2026, the public debate includes allegations about large-scale tree removal, official clarification that illegal felling is not taking place inside Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary, and government records describing the forest land required for the Karjat project. The available information should not be collapsed into a single claim that 600 acres of forest inside the sanctuary have already been cleared.
The most reliable conclusion will depend on verified site-level evidence and the applicable approval records. Transparency about both the project's energy benefits and its environmental costs is essential to an informed public discussion.
FAQs
Are 600 acres of forest being cut near Bhimashankar?
Official project documents identify approximately 233 hectares, or 576 acres, of forest land as required for the Saidongar-I project in Karjat taluka. The rounded 600-acre figure refers to this approximate area; it does not independently confirm that all trees across that area have already been cut.
How many trees are reportedly affected?
Media reports during October 2026 cited more than 32,000 trees, with some reports specifying 32,490. The number of trees authorised for removal should be distinguished from the number actually felled, which requires verified site records.
Is the tree-cutting activity taking place inside Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary?
The Pune Forest Department denied reports of illegal tree felling inside the sanctuary on 24 October 2026. The proposed project is associated with the Saidongar area of Karjat taluka in Raigad district. Exact boundaries and project coordinates should be checked before describing the activity as being inside the sanctuary.
Which company is associated with the Saidongar-I project?
The project documentation identifies Torrent PSH3 Private Limited, a subsidiary of Torrent Power, as the project entity associated with the proposed 3,000 MW pumped-storage development.
Why is the project being proposed?
Pumped-storage hydropower stores energy by pumping water to an upper reservoir when electricity is available and generating electricity when demand rises. The proposed project's installed capacity is 3,000 MW.
Does planting new trees fully compensate for forest loss?
No plantation can immediately reproduce all the ecological functions of a mature natural forest. Compensatory afforestation can contribute to restoration, but its effectiveness depends on species selection, location, survival, monitoring and the wider environmental mitigation measures.
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