Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday accused some groups of creating obstacles for the Nashik Kumbh Mela and said a few people had “suddenly become environmentalists” for political ends, even as the state faces protests over a plan to cut more than 1,700 trees in Tapovan.
Speaking to reporters after launching the tunnel boring machine for the Orange Gate–Marine Drive tunnel project in south Mumbai, Fadnavis said the government would ensure there was no damage to the environment.
Civil society groups have opposed the Nashik civic body’s reported proposal to remove thousands of trees to build a ‘Sadhu Gram’ ahead of the 2026 Kumbh Mela. Actor Sayaji Shinde, a member of the Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s NCP, has also warned he would oppose the government if it insisted on the plan.
Earlier, Pawar called for a conciliatory approach, saying environmental balance was as important as development.
“We will certainly come up with such a solution so that there is no damage to the environment. But some people feel they can create hurdles in the way of the Kumbh Mela. I want to tell them that they will not be allowed to stop us,” Fadnavis said.
Without naming anyone, he added that some had taken up activism for political reasons. “Some people have unnecessarily started activism about this. Some people have suddenly become environmentalists. I have full respect for genuine environmentalists, but some people have become environmentalists for political reasons,” he said.
The chief minister said he and his deputies Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde are of the view that trees should be spared in the first place. In case the ground needs to be cleared, the trees should be relocated, he said.
The Kumbh Mela, the environment and trees are important for the government, said Fadnavis.
He said that Prayagraj, where the Kumbh Mela is held, has earmarked 15,000 hectares (over 37,000 acres) of land for the mega religious event, whereas Nashik’s Tapovan area has barely 300-350 acres.
He said that in Google Maps images of 2016, the trees are not visible because the Nashik Municipal Corporation planted them only after the state government launched a programme to plant 50 crore trees.
“It was vacant land which we use only once in 12 years,” Fadnavis said. The government has now planned ‘Sadhu Gram’ at the location, but the presence of trees is creating constraints, he said.
