Aaditya Thackeray, group of environmentalists oppose new Mahabaleshwar project in Maharashtra

A group of environmentalists, along with Aaditya Thackeray (above), met Environment Minister Pankaja Munde at the Vidhan Bhavan premises on Tuesday

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray along with a group of environmentalists has raised a red flag over the creation of the New Mahabaleshwar project in Maharashtra.

The project, aimed at easing pressure on Maharashtra's tourism destination-Mahabaleshwar, located 285 km from Mumbai, is said to be a pet project of erstwhile Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

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A group of environmentalists, along with Aaditya Thackeray, met Environment Minister Pankaja Munde at the Vidhan Bhavan premises in Mumbai on Tuesday.

"What is the need for the New Mahabaleshwar? Look at the environmental damage because of this project," Aaditya Thackeray said after the meeting and demanded that the project be scrapped in totality.

The proposed new tourist destination is said to cover 235 villages across the Koyna-Javali valley in Satara district.

The project, located on the north-south side of the Sahyadri mountain range, is estimated to cost around Rs 12,809 crores.

Last year, the MSRDC had issued a notification for objections and suggestions from citizens. If government officials are to be believed, over 800 responses were received by the MSRDC, most of which were suggestions, with a few objections.

Leaders from the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde camp) claimed that many villages expressed their willingness to participate in the project. However, they feel that UBT leaders are opposing the project merely because it is referred to as Shinde's pet project. "Just because it is Shinde's project, the UBT leaders are opposing the idea," Uday Samant, Industries Minister in the Mahayuti government and close confidante of Eknath Shinde, said while speaking to the media.