States » WestPosted at: Oct 26 2026 7:51PM


Keshav Upadhye defends Torrent Power project, accuses Opposition of hindering Maha’s development

Pune, Oct 26 (UNI) Maharashtra BJP vice-president Keshav Upadhye on Monday defended the proposed Torrent Power pumped-storage project in Raigad district stating that it would help meet the state's growing electricity demand, and accused opposition leaders of misleading people by raising environmental concerns.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP's state headquarters, Upadhye said Maharashtra's electricity demand had reached a record 38,000 MW in recent days, driven by industrialisation and rising consumption in the agricultural and domestic sectors. Party spokesperson Pankaj Modi was also present.
Upadhye said the state needed to expand its power-generation capacity to meet the growing demand. He described the proposed pumped-storage project as an environment-friendly initiative and said the electricity generated by it would be supplied entirely to Maharashtra.
He argued that relying on conventional coal-based power generation to meet the additional demand would increase pollution. According to him, the pollution generated would be equivalent to that caused by four million vehicles operating for a year.
Referring to the earlier controversy over the Mumbai Metro project, Upadhye alleged that the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government had halted metro work in the name of environmental protection, resulting in losses of around Rs 10,000 crore to Maharashtra. He said the government had subsequently undertaken compensatory tree plantation under judicial supervision.
On concerns about the proposed Torrent Power project's location near the Bhimashankar region, Upadhye said the project did not fall within the eco-sensitive zone of the wildlife sanctuary. He rejected allegations that the project would adversely affect wildlife, stating that the area required for the project constituted only a small part of the Sahyadri region.
He also dismissed allegations that construction had begun without the necessary permissions.
According to Upadhye, the project underwent an 18-month approval process, including environmental clearance and other statutory procedures, before tree-felling activities began.
On tree plantation and employment, Upadhye said twice as many trees as those felled for the project would be planted. He added that preliminary estimates indicated the project could generate employment for around 3,000 people.
Criticising opposition to industrial and infrastructure projects, he cited the proposed Nanar project as an example of an investment opportunity Maharashtra had lost.
He alleged that opposition parties were opposing development initiatives for political reasons and said such resistance could affect investment and employment opportunities in the state.
Upadhye maintained that development and environmental protection needed to be balanced, asserting that the state government was working towards achieving both objectives.
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