India, Nov. 23 -- Nashik's citizens and activists have been strongly opposing local authorities' plan to cut around 1700 trees to set up Sadhugram, a temporary accommodation for priests who will visit the town to attend the Simhastha Kumbh Mela in 2026-27.

After the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) put up a notice recently expressing its intent, a Chipko andolan-like protest was organised on Wednesday with concerned citizens hugging trees. Roshan Kedar, a citizen posted a video of a heritage tree on Facebook, asking how during the last kumbh, similar accommodation was set up at the same venue without cutting trees.

State's disaster management minister Girish Mahajan, who is in charge of the Kumbh Mela, said on Saturday that misinforma...