In Nashik, the grape capital of India and host of the Simhastha Kumbh Mela every 12 years, environmental concerns over a plan to cut 1,800 trees for the proposed Sadhugram project in the historic Tapovan area have sharpened political fault lines ahead of local body elections.
The issue has pitted both Sena factions against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leads the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra. While Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief, and Uddhav Thackeray, chief of the Shiv Sena (UBT), remain political rivals, their parties have found rare common ground in Tapovan, where authorities propose clearing trees across 34 acres to build Sadhugram and a MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) hub, as part of a ₹300-crore infrastructure push linked to the pilgrimage.
Some see the protest by the Shinde Sena against the backdrop of jostling for the post of the Guardian Minister of Nashik, which is emerging as a key industrial and investment hub.
Temporary stay
The proposal has faced judicial scrutiny, with a temporary stay granted by the regional bench of the National Green Tribunal and the Bombay High Court. Recently, renowned Marathi writer Tara Bhavalkar urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to scrap the plan. Speaking at the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in Satara last week, she underlined Tapovan’s historic and spiritual significance, citing references in traditional Marathi texts and calling for the preservation of its sanctity.
