Members of the Karjat Taluka Paryavaran Bachao Sangharsh Samiti met Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray at his residence in Dadar West on Sunday, seeking his support against the felling of 32,490 trees for a proposed 3000 MW pumped storage project in Karjat. After being briefed on the issue and shown documents related to the project, Thackeray expressed opposition to the destruction of the region’s forest cover and announced a public meeting in Karjat on October 28.

“Thackeray has been gathering information about the tree felling over the past two to three days,” said advocate Kailash More, who is associated with the committee. The MNS chief is also expected to visit the project site before the public meeting, where he will announce his stand and plans for further agitation, according to More.