Maha: Raj Thackeray and actor Sayaji Shinde oppose axing of trees

Mumbai: MNS chief Raj Thackeray has opposed the cutting of trees for constructing a ‘Sadhu Gram’ ahead of the Kumbh Mela in Maharashtra’s Nashik city, and said the BJP-led government should not allow the matter to escalate.

Actor Sayaji Shinde, a member of the NCP which is part of the ruling coalition, also said he would oppose the government if it was adamant on removing the trees. Shinde visited the Tapovan area on Saturday where the Sadhu Gram -- accommodation for visiting religious leaders -- is going to come up.

Raj Thackeray in a statement on Saturday accused the government of indulging in “opportunism”. It plans to cut the trees under the pretext of Kumbh Mela, and then donate the land to their “favourite industrialists”, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief said.

The Sadhu Gram is being planned over 1,200 acres of Tapovan area ahead of the Kumbh Mela, starting from October 31, 2026. As many as 1,670 trees, some of them said to be more than 100 years old, were marked for removal earlier this month.

A notice issued by the Nashik Municipal Corporation to cut trees received hundreds of objections. A hearing on the objections held last Monday witnessed chaotic scenes as green activists and citizens strongly opposed the proposed tree-cutting drive.