Mumbai, Oct. 26 -- Environmental activists, led by veteran actor Sayaji Shinde, have opposed tree felling in the name of development. Shinde asserted that no project should be undertaken by cutting trees and called for greater transparency in the process.

Tree felling in the Saidongar area of Karjat taluka for Torrent Power's 3,000 MW pumped-storage hydropower project has triggered protests by local residents and environmentalists. Reports indicate that permission has been granted to cut over 32,000 trees for the project.

On October 26, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray visited the project site and opposed the tree felling. Actor and environmentalist Sayaji Shinde also warned that not a single tree would be allowed to be cut furt...