Activists seek NMC’s stand on Tapovan tree felling; opposition for land acquisition in Trimbakeshwar

Nashik: Activists on Thursday took out a silent foot march to NMC headquarters to protest against the civic body for not clearing its stance on the proposed tree felling at Tapovan for developing the Sadhugram.Farmers from 25 villages around Trimbakeshwar have also opposed the Nashik district administration's plans of temporary land acquisition to raise parking lots for Simhastha Kumbh Mela.The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) had invited suggestions and objections regarding its proposal for the felling of around 1,700 trees and conducted hearings on the objections by activists and residents. It received around 900 objections, both online and offline. The hearing was held last Nov.But even after three-and-a-half months, NMC has not made its stand clear about the proposed tree felling. Hence, the activists, under the leadership of MNS leader Amit Thackeray, took out the foot march from Hutatma Smarak near the district collectorate to the Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan.The delegation also held discussions with mayor Himgauri Aher who promised to form a committee on the issue and said the committee will also include activists. "We will form the committee that will include officials from the NMC and the activists to discuss the Tapovan tree felling issue," the mayor said during an interaction with the activists.Speaking to the reporters, Thackeray said he was there to support the activists and also understand why the civic body wants to cut the trees at Tapovan. "As NMC commissioner Manisha Khatri was not available, we met the mayor who assured us of forming the committee to discuss the issue," Thackeray said, adding that MNS was in power in NMC during the previous Kumbh Mela held in 2015 and it was successfully carried out without felling any tree at Tapovan.In the case of parking lots in Trimbakeshwar, the district administration has asked the local authorities to find out land parcels that can be converted into parking lots , which can be required to manage traffic during the Amrit Snan scheduled from July to Sept 2027. "Talathis have been instructed to find out the land parcels that can be developed into parking lots. These land parcels could be open spaces near the roads, the gram panchayat lands or even the farms that could be used to park the vehicles where various other services also could be raised for the pilgrims," said a senior official from the district administration.