Nagpur Pilgrims Return Safely from Nepal Floods as RTI Exposes Maharashtra Forest Crime
More than 100 pilgrims from Nagpur who were stranded in Nepal during devastating flash floods have returned home safely, expressing deep gratitude to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for personally coordinating their evacuation. At the same time, a Right to Information filing by a Nagpur-based activist has exposed alarming levels of illegal tree felling in Maharashtra forests, with Nagpur identified as one of the major hotspots for the crime.
Nagpur Pilgrims Return from Nepal with Relief and Gratitude
More than 100 tourists from Nagpur who had traveled to Nepal on a pilgrimage to Kathmandu and nearby towns were caught in the path of catastrophic flash floods and stranded far from home. Their safe return was marked by an emotional homecoming at Nagpur, with many thanking Lord Shiva for their survival through the Himalayan disaster. The pilgrims expressed deep gratitude to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, widely known as Deva Bhau, for the state government direct involvement in coordinating their rescue and evacuation. Pilgrim Yogesh Gavande, speaking as he stepped off the train at Nagpur station, said the group had been just fifty kilometres from the disaster site before being moved to Kathmandu, and that Fadnavis personally coordinated their return home. The group made the overland journey from Kathmandu to Janakpur and then onward to Bihar by bus before boarding Train No. 17609 from Patna to Nagpur. The Chief Minister Office confirmed that the government ensured necessary coordination and assistance for safe travel from Nepal to Patna, and also arranged the onward rail journey to Maharashtra. One returned pilgrim described the ordeal by saying the group had not expected to make it back, that people were badly affected, and that when Fadnavis reached out there was a ray of hope for the first time. The safe return closed an anxious chapter for hundreds of families across Nagpur and the broader Vidarbha region who had been waiting for news. [3]
🗳️ RTI Reveals 3.46 Lakh Trees Illegally Felled Across Maharashtra
Official data obtained through the Right to Information Act has revealed that 3.46 lakh trees were illegally felled in forest areas across Maharashtra between 2021 and 2025, exposing persistent failures in protecting the state forest cover despite existing laws and enforcement machinery. The figures were provided by the Maharashtra Forest Department to Abhay Kolarkar, a Nagpur-based RTI activist who sought the data. Among the trees destroyed, 1.28 lakh were teak, a commercially valuable species, and losses from teak felling alone accounted for Rs 22.57 crore of the total estimated financial damage of Rs 31.22 crore to the state exchequer. Gadchiroli, Thane, and Nagpur were identified as major hotspots for illegal felling activity over the five-year period. The data showed that even in 2021, when the Covid-19 pandemic had curtailed most economic activity across the country, Maharashtra recorded its highest annual illegal tree felling in the study period, with 81,086 trees cut that year alone, including 31,310 teak trees. The financial loss in 2021 was estimated at Rs 6.80 crore, of which Rs 4.88 crore was attributable to teak smuggling. The RTI disclosure raised urgent questions about the effectiveness of forest governance and the capacity of the state administration to protect one of Maharashtra most valuable natural assets. The figures pointed to a systemic problem requiring sustained policy attention and stronger enforcement on the ground. [6]
Sources: [3] Deccan Herald · [6] Nagpur Today