Maharashtra: Fire damages trees at actor Sayaji Shinde’s 'Sahyadri Devrai' project site in Beed

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Dec 25 (PTI) A fire damaged trees at a plantation site of actor and tree activist Sayaji Shinde in Maharashtra’s Beed district, an official has said.

Nobody was injured in the fire that broke out around 9 pm on Wednesday at the ‘Sahyadri Devrai’ project in Palwan village, he said.

The Beed rural police alerted their control room, and the message was relayed to the fire brigade. Since the fire engine in Beed was out of order, the Gevrai fire station was roped in for the firefighting, the official said.

It took nearly 90 minutes to control the blaze. The cause of the fire has yet to be established, he said. The work at Palwan plantation site began in August 2017, according to the website of Sahyadri Devrai. Nearly 1.65 lakh trees were planted over 40 hectares under the project, it said.

Actor Shinde, who is also a member of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, is known for his love for trees. He had said last month that he would oppose the government if it was adamant on removing trees in Nashik's Tapovan area to build a 'Sadhu Gram' ahead of the Kumbh Mela, which will begin in October 2026. PTI AW NR