States » WestPosted at: Nov 14 2026 3:49PM


Cong leader slams Maha Govt over rising tiger attacks, faults large-scale forest land diversion

Nagpur, Nov 14 (UNI) Senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Maharashtra government over increasing tiger attacks, resulting from large-scale denudation of forest land for industrial projects and 'favouritism' towards industrialist Gautam Adani.
Expressing concern over the growing incidents of tiger attacks in human settlements, he questioned the whereabouts of Forest Minister Ganesh Naik and accused the government of failing to take effective measures to protect human lives.
"People are losing their lives in tiger attacks almost every day. Tigers are entering human settlements and killing people, but the government is not taking the issue seriously. The Forest Minister appears to be asleep," he alleged.
While forest-dependent communities were being penalised even for killing wild boars, he charged the government with allowing large-scale forest clearances for industrial projects.
He warned that if the situation continued, forest officials would face public resistance and demanded stringent measures to control the tiger menace.
Targeting the government over an Adani Green Energy project in Patan taluka of Satara district, Wadettiwar alleged irregularities in environmental clearances and the assessment of project costs and forest land.
He claimed that a 1,500-MW project, reportedly worth Rs 5,775 crore, had been shown to cost only Rs 56 crore for calculating the amount payable to the government.
He alleged that only Rs 2.27 crore had been deposited against the amount that should have been substantially higher.
He further claimed that the government had suffered a potential revenue loss of around Rs 225 crore and demanded cancellation of the project's approval, alleging that the forest area and land requirements were initially understated and subsequently increased.
Wadettiwar also alleged that several projects were being promoted in the name of green energy at the cost of forests, villages and wildlife.
He accused the Forest Department officials of being complicit in the alleged irregularities and demanded accountability.
On the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Wadettiwar accused the Election Commission of functioning arbitrarily and alleged that the government was avoiding a discussion on the issue in Parliament.
He said Rahul Gandhi had challenged the Primne Minister for an open debate at a mutually agreed venue, where both could present their arguments. He alleged that disruptions and switching off microphones in Parliament were being used to prevent discussions.
Raising the issue of drought relief, Wadettiwar questioned the government's claim of declaring 354 talukas drought-affected and asked whether crop-loss assessments and panchnamas had been completed.
He alleged that officials in districts such as Gadchiroli had been instructed to show crop yield figures above 65 per cent, thereby affecting the assessment of drought conditions.
He also questioned the availability of irrigation facilities and demanded to know how many farmers had received the promised Rs 5,000 assistance.
He accused the state and Central governments of misleading farmers through announcements without releasing adequate financial assistance.
Claiming that only 39 per cent of the promised assistance had been disbursed, he alleged that farmers in Maharashtra were being neglected while large financial packages were extended to other states.
Reacting to the controversial party reportedly organised in the Morshi area, Wadettiwar said holding such an event in a drought-affected region reflected insensitivity towards farmers and local residents. Referring to visuals captured by a drone, he questioned the use of a Nagar Panchayat stage for the event.
On allegations of phone tapping, Wadettiwar accused the Narendra Modi government of being afraid of Rahul Gandhi and said the Congress leader's growing public support had unsettled the ruling establishment.
Commenting on the Gokul milk union controversy, Wadettiwar accused the Fadnavis government disrespecting the democratic mandate and creating disturbances despite lacking a majority. He said the public would not forget the developments.
On the demand for a separate Vidarbha state, Wadettiwar said the regional backlog had increased to around Rs 75,000 crore despite repeated assurances by the BJP.
He said Vidarbha had abundant electricity, minerals and water resources, yet continued to face regional imbalance.
He warned that continued neglect by successive governments could strengthen the demand for a separate Vidarbha state.
UNI PK MCR
Tags: #Cong leader slams Maha Govt over rising tiger attacks# faults large-scale forest land diversion
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