Government came to axe their livelihoods to light others’ homes. Then 5 villages fought back

A pumped storage hydropower project stores electricity by moving water between two reservoirs at different heights. When demand rises, the stored water flows downhill through turbines to generate power. The article identifies the proposed facility as a 3,000-MW project being developed by Gujarat-based Torrent Power.

Building the project requires land for reservoirs, power equipment, access routes and related infrastructure. The proposal covers 377 hectares, including forest department land and land across five villages. That construction footprint is why trees would be removed. The plan calls for 32,400 trees to be felled.

The operation began in the forest on Dussehra morning without villagers saying they had been informed. More than 1,000 trees had already been cut before protests led to a temporary halt. Residents, activists and political leaders are demanding clarity about whether the stoppage is official or permanent.

The proposed project has a large physical footprint. It requires 377 hectares of land for development. This includes 233 hectares belonging to the forest department and another 144 hectares spread across Dhak, Pali, Potal, Ambot and Bhaliwadi.

The planned tree loss is also substantial. The proposal says 32,400 trees are to be felled. The affected forest lies along Saidongar Hill in the Sahyadri range, about 16 kilometres from Bhimashankar forest. It contains dense vegetation, medicinal plants and habitat for wildlife such as the Indian giant squirrel.

The operation began before villagers said they had received notice. By the time protests gained attention, more than 1,000 trees had already been cut. The forest department temporarily stopped the work, but residents said they still lacked clarity about whether the halt was official or permanent.

The five affected villages are Dhak, Pali, Potal, Ambot and Bhaliwadi. They sit along the ridges of Saidongar Hill, part of the Sahyadri range. Most families belong to the Katkari tribal community, making the forest central to daily life and local livelihoods.

Residents collect wood from the forest and sell it in local markets. A family can earn around Rs 150 to Rs 200 a day from this activity. Villagers also grow fruits and vegetables. They sell some of their produce and eat the rest at home. The forest therefore supports both cash income and household food supplies.

The proposed project threatens access to these resources. Villagers protested after seeing machines cut trees on Dussehra morning. They gathered at the site, recorded videos, shared them online and held a sit-in. The forest department later paused the operation, but residents remain uncertain about what happens next.

The operation shocked residents because they said nobody had told them trees in the forest would be cut. They had noticed government officials visiting at different hours, but officials avoided their questions. Labourers arrived the night before the operation, and villagers said they did not explain why they were there.

On Dussehra morning, residents of Pali heard chainsaws and initially thought there might be a fire. They rushed into the forest and found machines felling trees. More than 1,000 trees were cut. Villagers recorded videos and circulated them on social media, then contacted people in neighbouring villages for support.

The protests widened quickly. Political leaders, activists and students visited the area. Aaditya Thackeray, Raj Thackeray and Manoj Jarange Patil were among those who visited. The forest department temporarily stopped the work, but residents said they had no confirmation that the halt was permanent.

Forest clearance could affect several parts of village life at once. Families would lose access to wood they sell for around Rs 150 to Rs 200 a day. They could also lose forest space used to grow fruits and vegetables, reducing both market sales and food available at home.

The ecological effects could be equally serious. The forest has patches of dense vegetation and contains medicinal plants such as gulvel, also called giloy, and adulsa, or Malabar nut. It provides habitat for wildlife, including the Indian giant squirrel, known locally as the shekru and recognised as Maharashtra’s state animal.

The article does not measure the project’s exact future impact on income, food or wildlife. However, clearing 32,400 trees in this landscape would remove habitat and forest resources that villagers currently use. It could also intensify conflict if tree felling resumes without clearer communication and community involvement.

The article gives no stated explanation for state government support. It does identify a proposed 3,000-MW project costing Rs 13,505 crore and being developed by Torrent Power. A reasonable, established rationale for supporting such infrastructure is that it can add large-scale electricity storage and generation capacity, but that rationale is not specifically stated in the article.

Pumped storage works by using electricity to move water uphill into a higher reservoir when power is plentiful or demand is low. When demand rises, the water is released downhill through turbines. This converts stored water energy back into electricity and allows the facility to respond more quickly than many conventional generation sources.

That mechanism can help meet peak demand, such as periods when homes and businesses use the most power. It can also absorb surplus solar or wind electricity and release it later. However, the article focuses on the forest dispute, not on government policy or the project’s planned operating details.

An electricity grid must keep supply and demand nearly equal at all times. If demand exceeds supply, frequency and system stability can fall. If supply exceeds demand, electricity is wasted or equipment can be stressed. Grid operators therefore forecast demand and expected renewable output, then schedule enough backup and flexible capacity.

Solar power drops at night and changes with clouds. Wind generation rises and falls with weather conditions. Operators can respond using batteries, pumped storage, hydropower, quick-start gas plants and other controllable generators. They can also shift some electricity use to different times, or exchange power with neighbouring regions through transmission lines.

The proposed project could provide one form of this balancing service, although the article does not describe its operating plan. During periods of surplus electricity, pumps could move water uphill. During high demand or low renewable output, stored water could flow through turbines and supply the grid.