India, Nov. 12 -- Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday defended his government's decision to go ahead with a pumped-storage hydropower project in Karjat, despite widespread protests over the proposed felling of more than 32,000 trees in the ecologically sensitive Sahyadri range. He also backed the expansion of AI data centres in Maharashtra, dismissing concerns over their heavy water and power consumption, saying the government would insist that new facilities minimise their use of both resources.

Responding to questions from journalists at Varsha, his official residence, during a Diwali get-together on Wednesday, Fadnavis said the projects are the need of the hour. He also underlined the importance of nuclear power as...