Nashik: As soon as the proposal of the construction of the 14-km road from the base of Anjaneri to top started, there was strong opposition from Nashik residents and other cities as well. The road proposal should be withdrawn immediately has been requested by many NGOs to Member of Parliament Hemant Godse. A statement in this regard was submitted by a representatives of various organisations.
“The state government has declared the area of Anjaneri fort as a rich conservation forest in biodiversity in 2017. Conservation of this forest is more important than giving space to tourism, so we should stop insisting on building a road that obstructs this forest to a great extent”, says the statement.
The Green Revolution, Aapla Paryavaran, Nashik Nature Conservation Society, Eco Echo Foundation, Give Foundation and many other organisations have jointly submitted this statement. The statement was given by ProfJuhi Pethe, a biodiversity researcher at Anjaneri and Shekhar Gaikwad, a nature lover.
At this time, Pethe told Godse that Anjaneri is not just a fort but a glorious reserve forest of the district which cultivates rich biodiversity. There are some medicinal plants in this forest that are found only here. The long-billed vulture, which is on the verge of extinction on the back of the world, is the rightful habitat of the white-backed vulture, thus trying to emphasize the importance of saying that this forest needs to be protected permanently.
This time Godse also said that he is not against nature, but road is important for development. Gaikwad said that the existing road leading to middle of the fort, that should be improved and sustainable development should be maintained. He will definitely reconsider this time and have a detailed discussion with everyone, Godse assured. The statements have the signatures of various volunteers and prominent personalities.
