Prevented in 2015, Nashik wants to chop down thousands of trees for Kumbh Mela again

Before the 2015 Sinhasta Kumbh Mela, Nashik’s Municipal Corporation went to the Bombay High Court seeking permission to fell over 2,400 trees — for road widening across 91 kilometres, a Sadhugram, and a water treatment plant. The court was sceptical. An expert committee was brought in, numbers were slashed, and ultimately around 700 trees were approved for felling and 600 for transplantation.

Twelve years on, the script is nearly identical. From late 2025, the NMC began publishing notices for the felling of thousands of trees ahead of the 2027 Sinhasta Kumbh Mela. Environmentalists petitioned the National Green Tribunal (NGT) bench in Pune. In April 2026, the NGT ordered a complete stay on all tree felling in Nashik pending further hearings.