The Maharashtra forest department has decided, at the behest of MNS chief Raj Thackeray, to hand over 25 hectares of forest land near Nashik to the Nashik Municipal Corporation.
The NMC, controlled by Thackeray's party, is planning to develop a garden at the base of Pandav caves on the Mumbai-Agra national highway, 10 km from Nashik, with technical and financial support of Tata Trust.
Thackeray wants to make over the existing Nehru forest garden, considering its botanical importance, an MNS leader said.
The MNS chief met forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar this evening here and demanded that the land be handed over to the NMC.
"He has a good plan to develop the garden, I was convinced by his idea, and keeping politics aside, I have taken the decision to hand over the forest land to the corporation on the condition that no new construction will be allowed there," the minister said.
"There is 95 hacters of forest land. Of this 25 hacters will be handed over to Maharashtra Forest Development Corporation (MFDC). Later a tri-party agreement will be signed between MFDC, Nashik Municipal Corporation and Tata Trust," he added.
The renovation will be eco-friendly and no new construction will be granted. The Forest Conservation Act will be strictly followed, Mungantiwar said.
Nashik Municipal Commissioner Pravin Gedam, mayor and forest officials along with Urmila Upadhyay from Tata trust were present at the meeting.
