The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has reversed its plan to fell nearly 1,700 trees in Tapovan for a proposed Sadhu Gram (village for monks) ahead of the 2026–27 Simhastha Kumbh Mela, following sustained public protests and over 900 objections filed within 12 days.
Clarifying its position, the NMC said the earlier plan had been “misinterpreted” and insisted that only trees below 10 years of age and shrubs would be cleared, while older “heritage” trees would be retained.
The final number of trees to be removed is yet to be determined.
Kumbh Mela Commissioner Shekhar Singh rejected reports that 1,700–1,800 trees were set to be axed. Speaking to The Indian Express, he said: “We will not axe 1,800 trees as is being speculated. The number of trees to be felled is far less. Less than half the number… Unnecessary rumours are being spread. The final figure of trees to be axed has not been decided. But I can say that the number of such trees is much, much lower.”
He added that old trees would be preserved: “Some trees might have to be taken out. We are not planning to remove old trees… There is no reason to remove them. People are taking pictures after climbing the trees… They are resorting to a Chipko-type movement. We will not remove the trees; we will retain them.”
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The trees in question are spread across 54 acres of Tapovan. Environmental groups say many of them are between 40 and 100 years old and form part of an ecologically sensitive zone along the Godavari river.
Residents gathered under banyan and tamarind trees to demonstrate against the move, as videos circulated online under the hashtag #saveTapovan. A signature campaign also gained traction.
One Nashik resident wrote on X: “Once 200–300 year old trees are gone, we won’t see anything like them again in our lifetime. It takes centuries to replace what we lose for a two-month event. This isn’t development, it's plain stupidity.”
Another questioned the rationale of cutting old trees for a temporary event: “The Kumbh Mela will last only for a month. Is it really necessary to cut such old and valuable trees for something so temporary? … After all, the sadhus can sit in the shade of these very trees.”
State minister Girish Mahajan, addressing protesters on Thursday, promised compensatory measures including planting ten trees for every tree felled and transplanting trees “wherever possible.”
Amid the backlash, the NMC revised its stand, saying only “unavoidable” trees would be removed.
At a formal hearing on Monday, citizens sought clarity on the legal basis of the tree-cutting proposal. Green activists accused officials of pushing the process through without transparency.
Local activist Devang Jani questioned whether the NMC had the authority to make a decision on the matter at all. He told PTI: “NMC does not have the legal right to conduct a hearing regarding the tree cutting in Tapovan. As per the amendment in the Maharashtra State Tree Authority Act 2021, if the number of trees to be cut is more than 200 and these trees are more than 5 years old, the local Tree Authority or the administrator cannot take a decision on the issue.”
Local residents have also come out against the chopping of trees that began on a private plot in Chandivali suburb of Mumbai, with an environment group writing to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis calling for a complete overhaul of the metropolis' tree policy.
The clearance permits felling of 45 trees and transplantation of 70 others on the private plot in Chandivali's L Ward.
Permission for cutting of trees and their transplantation was granted in February 2024, but the tree-cutting teams arrived on Thursday, leaving the residents shocked, said environment group NatConnect Foundation.
Pamela Cheema, chairperson of the BMC-appointed Advanced Locality Management Committee, said she was deeply shocked that another green pocket was being erased. "When will planners realise that trees in Mumbai are survival systems, not landscaping?" she asked.
