📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Globetrotter19
Politics
Maharashtra Leaders Thackeray, Pawar Condemn Govt for Cutting 32,490 Trees in Karjat
✍️ Mid-Day
🗓 25 Oct 2026, 09:16 AM
👁 14
State ministers Aaditya Thackeray and Rohit Pawar publicly rebuked the Maharashtra government for authorising the removal of 32,490 trees in Karjat, calling the action environmentally damaging.
Maharashtra ministers Aaditya Thackeray and Rohit Pawar have taken to public platforms to condemn the state government's decision to fell 32,490 trees in the Karjat region. The pair described the large‑scale removal as a breach of environmental norms and a setback for local ecology.
Both leaders stressed that the forest cover in Karjat is crucial for groundwater recharge and biodiversity, and that the clearance could exacerbate soil erosion and heat stress. They urged the administration to halt the operation immediately and to seek alternative development plans that preserve green cover.
The government has not issued an official response to the criticism as of now, but officials are expected to address the issue given the political pressure and public outcry.
Environmental activists have previously warned that unchecked tree felling in the Western Ghats threatens the region's ecological balance, a concern echoed by Thackeray and Pawar in their statements.
Both leaders stressed that the forest cover in Karjat is crucial for groundwater recharge and biodiversity, and that the clearance could exacerbate soil erosion and heat stress. They urged the administration to halt the operation immediately and to seek alternative development plans that preserve green cover.
The government has not issued an official response to the criticism as of now, but officials are expected to address the issue given the political pressure and public outcry.
Environmental activists have previously warned that unchecked tree felling in the Western Ghats threatens the region's ecological balance, a concern echoed by Thackeray and Pawar in their statements.