In Nashik, the grape capital of India which hosts Simhastha Kumbh mela every 12 years, environmental concerns around the plan to cut 1,800 trees for the construction of Sadhugram in the historic Tapovan area has pitted the two Shiv Senas against the BJP. While Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray don’t see eye-to-eye in Maharashtra, their parties have staged protests against the BJP in Nashik in a battle for environment.
This battle has an undertone of the upcoming local body elections and the long-standing battle within the ruling Mahayuti for the position of guardian minister of the region which is emerging as a key industrial centre.
Nashik will host the Simhastha Kumbh Mela next year. Protests have been going on in Nashik’s Tapovan area, opposing the proposal to cut trees in a 34-acre plot for the construction of Sadhugram and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) hub in the region through a ₹300 crore project for the upcoming Kumbh mela.
A temporary stay has been given by the regional bench of the National Green Tribunal and the Bombay High Court after the greens had approached them against the government plan. Recently, renowned Marathi writer Tara Bhavalkar also objected to this plan and requested the Chief Minister to scrap it. During her speech at Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammela last week, the national meet of Marathi litterateurs in Satara, she spoke of the historic significance of Tapovan, its references in traditional Marathi texts, and the need to maintain its sanctity.
Senas against the BJP
Last week, Aaditya Thackeray, Shiv Sena UBT MLA, visited Tapovan to extend his support to the protest of Nashik’s residents. They handed him a memorandum seeking his backing for their cause. “Several locals have opposed the government’s decision to destroy the ‘green zone’ of Tapovan and turn it into ‘yellow zone’. People are angry with the BJP for this conspiracy to hand over green zones to the builder lobby in the name of development. We will not let it succeed. I promise you all to stay with you in this struggle,” he told the protestors.
While he sat with them under an old banyan tree in Tapovan, just a few metres away, the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde had put its flag over a banner put up by the Yuva Sena depicting an AI-generated image of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis with a mechanical saw, cutting the trees.
Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena’s candidate for the local body, Ajay Boraste, has been leading protests at Tapovan for several days now. The Shiv Sena has openly pitted itself against the BJP in this battle of the city to save its green lungs.
“The Shiv Sena stands against this conspiracy to cut trees here. This is Tapovan. Prabhu Ramchandra lived here. It was Dandakaranya earlier. This place has rich history. Panchavati has been named after five banyan trees. This is Nashik’s identity. That identity should not be wiped out this way. People have participated to plant trees here. Why does the corporation want to hack them now? They want to build an exhibition centre by cutting these trees. There is a temporary stay looking at people’s anger. It has not yet been cancelled. So the position of the local body is highly suspicious. This is not for the saints, but for opportunists. We are dead against it. Will the saints stay in concrete jungle? They will themselves want to stay in nature’s lap. This killing of jungles is not acceptable to Shiv Sena,” he told The Hindu.
For the thousands of Nashikkars protesting against the government’s decision, the election time is an opportunity to convince candidates from all the parties to scrap the plan of hacking the trees. During weekends, children from different schools come to Tapovan to protest there. “Trees are our life. If we don’t get oxygen, we won’t be able to live. We want trees for our survival,” said a 9-year old boy who had come to protest with his friends and teachers.
“Government adamant”
Jagbir Singh, a teacher and a member of an NGO, comes to Tapovan every day to distribute pamphlets at Tapovan to spread awareness. “This is a people’s movement. Last month, the corporation has issued notice to cut 1800 trees. This is the only green area available in entire Nashik. It is green zone. Kumbh mela sadhugram plan is already there for 1200 acres. This land is only 54 acres. We want the government to leave this land, and use the alternate land available right across the road,” he said. Several protestors expressed anger against the government for what they said was an ‘adamant stand’ disrespecting people’s wish. “The administration is the custodian of people’s wishes. If we want the green cover to be maintained here, the administration cannot say that they can go ahead with whatever they want, because they own the land. They don’t own it for themselves. These are spaces for the city,” he said.
Recently, when the BJP candidate went door-to-door for campaigning, an angry Nashikkar told him, “Unless you declare that you are going to scrap it, you will face a backlash. We are all very angry.”
Officials of Nashik administration said they cannot speak on the issue as the matter is subjudice, but maintained that they will work together with the people. Meanwhile, Sunil Kedar, an office-bearer of Nashik BJP, said, “These protests are misdirected. We don’t think that all the trees should be hacked there. Only a few trees which are not endemic, should be removed. There is a wrong perception that all the trees are going to be hacked. We are ourselves opposed to it. We have brought 15,000 trees from Rajmundri to plant them in Nashik.”
Published – January 05, 2026 01:44 am IST
