India, Nov. 7 -- The National Green Tribunal's (NGT) Western Zone Bench on Thursday admitted an appeal challenging the Maharashtra government's decision to divert 233 hectares of forest land in Karjat, Raigad, for Torrent Power's proposed 3,000-MW pumped-storage hydropower project. The challenge puts the legality of the state's forest diversion approval under scrutiny, with the petitioner alleging that tribal forest rights and mandatory Gram Sabha consent were not secured before the clearance was issued.

Filed by UBT leader and advocate Sagar Devre, the appeal questions the legality, propriety and correctness of the state government's October 6, 2026, order permitting the diversion of 233 hectares, comprising 197.0272 hectares of reserve...