India, Oct. 25 -- With the forest department handing out permission to chop over 32,000 trees for a proposed 3,000-MW hydroelectric project in Saidongar and nearby areas in Karjat, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray and NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar have added their voices to those of thousands of protesting locals. Expressing concern about the environmental effect of this action on an area that connects Mumbai and Pune, the duo lambasted the central and state governments for permitting tree-cutting on such a large scale.

The Rs.13,500-crore project, being executed by the Gujarat-based Torrent Power in Saidongar, Kotwal Khalati and Pali requires the hacking of 32,000 trees on 370 hectares of land, which includes forest land. After the t...