States » WestPosted at: Oct 29 2026 10:04PM


Fadnavis Govt selling Maha forest land to earn commission, says Congress

Mumbai, Oct 29 (UNI) Maharashtra State Congress Committee President Harshwardhan Sapkal alleged here on Thursday that the BJP-led Fadnavis government has begun to sell forest land in environmentally sensitive zones to industrialists from Gujarat, in order to earn commissions.
Speaking to media persons at Karjat near the Bhimashankar forest, Sapkal said, “The BJP government is steeped in corruption. It is not only putting Maharashtra up for sale but has now begun selling even forests to earn commissions. The Torrent Power project in the Karjat-Bhimashankar forest is not in the interest of Maharashtra”.
Sapkal alleged that a large number of trees are being felled to enable the Gujarat-based Torrent Power Company to set up a pumped storage power project.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched an ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ (one tree in the name of mother), trees are being cut down in Maharashtra. Today, we fulfilled the Prime Minister’s pledge by planting trees in the forests of Karjat”.
Sapkal said that claims that the Torrent Power project will generate thousands of jobs and that trees will be planted elsewhere to compensate for the trees being felled are misleading and hollow.
“Earlier, this government had pledged to plant 33 crore trees. What happened to that commitment? Nobody has seen even a single tree planted under that initiative.
"The government claims that this is a state-of-the-art project. If that is the case, where will the thousands of jobs come from? Nobody trusts the BJP government or Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. They are misleading the people of Maharashtra by spreading a false narrative,” Sapkal said.
Sapkal alleged that the BJP-led Fadnavis government is destroying the rich forest wealth nestled in the Sahyadri mountain ranges, which are part of the sacred legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his historic guerilla warfare campaigns.
“In order to enjoy the benefits of corruption, the government has sold the Sahyadri mountain ranges to a Gujarat-based company. The people of Maharashtra will never tolerate the BJP-led Fadnavis government’s attempt to sell the state’s natural and historical heritage,” Sapkal said.
The Congress will foil the designs of the BJP-led Fadnavis government and if necessary, approach the court in order to protect the forest wealth of Karjat-Bhimashankar, Maharashtra State Congress Committee President Harshwardhan Sapkal said.
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Tags: #Fadnavis Govt selling Maha forest land to earn commission# says Congress
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