MUMBAI/NASHIK, Dec. 10 -- The fortnight-long 'zaad waachva' (save trees) agitation in Nashik, which began on November 24, has gathered momentum backed by litterateurs and Green warriors, just as it has shaken up political leaders ahead of the civic elections. At the heart of the agitation is Tapovan - a 150-acre vibrant green patch -- which locals celebrate as the abode of seers and saints, flora and fauna, along the banks of river Godavari. They wish to protect this space from being hijacked to build Sadhugram, where temporary homes will be set up for spiritual leaders who will converge for the Kumbh Mela, to be held from October 2026 to September 2027. Pictures and videos of locals making a beeline to Tapovan through the day holding demonstrations and hugging trees have flooded social media, leaving netas, regardless of the party allegiance, breaking into a sweat. While many politicians hope that the stir will soon lose steam, others, said documentary filmmaker Yogesh Gaikwad, who is associated with the protests, "are plainly duplicitous". "While many admit to being opposed to wanton tree-cutting, they are equally sensitive to the party whip dangling on their head like the Damoclean sword," said Gaikwad, underscoring that "many BJP workers from the district are unsettled by the issue". The save-Tapovan stir has aggravated not only because of Nashik Municipal Corporation's (NMC) plan to fell trees to build hutments for the Sadhugram, but the alacrity with which the civic administration has cleared the decks for a swanky convention centre for a Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) hub, here as well. While pointing out the need to fell trees to build the Sadhugram, NMC commissioner Manisha Khatri said, "The Nashik municipal corporation may not cut 1,800 trees as many fear. We will decide on the number after our tree officers submit their report. We may eventually chop only around 500 trees." Nearly 90 acres of Tapovan land is under NMC's jurisdiction. The civic body said on Monday that a joint survey with environmentalists will be carried out to determine how many trees need to be actually axed. Meanwhile, the stir has garnered support from across the state, thanks to social media, with many NRIs joining the crusade as well, noted Gaikwad. Young crusaders have composed ditties and jingles to ridicule the multi-crore MICE project. Sitarists are seen performing under a sprawling banyan tree, luring locals, including children, to join the protest. Last week, actor Sayaji Shinde led a citizens' team to join the protest. Defending the project, Khatri said the MICE proposal was ratified at NMC's general body meeting way back in 2016. "The land has to be saved from encroachment and put to good use. But, we will have to strike a balance between development and environment," she said. Local residents however feel once the Kumbh is over and Sadhugram dismantled, a sizable land parcel in Tapovan will be offered to developers for MICE, said Nashik chronicler Kailas Kamod. "This will leave Tapovan badly mauled and shorn of its beauty," he added. The BJP-led Mahayuti government finds itself in a spot as Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have backed the protest. Last week, women activists of Shiv Sena tied rakhi to Tapovan's trees, while male workers, in a symbolic gesture, smashed axes and crowbars - a move that is likely to embarrass the BJP, say political analysts. In a bid to pacify protesters, senior BJP minister Girish Mahajan who is also in-charge of the Kumbh Mela, reportedly announced on Friday that the MICE plan would be held in abeyance, and maintained that trees will be felled only to make way for Sadhugram. Expressing the sentiment of protestors and citizens, Gaikwad however said: "People are worried that the proposed MICE hub may mirror the Bharat Mandapam, at Pragati Maidan, in New Delhi, triggering hectic construction activities near Tapovan." The exhibition hub is being planned on 54 acres, while the remaining 19 acres have been set aside for a power station and other amenities. People aware of developments have shared with HT that NMC will soon invite tenders for the Rs.220 crore project. "Wracked by rampant urbanisation and high-profile infrastructure projects, local inhabitants treasure Tapovan as a great boon," said writer Lokesh Shevde. Tapovan is known for its lush foliage and countless trees. It has irked people and experts that NMC has declined to accept citizens' suggestions and objections on tree cutting. In fact, the civic body is yet to release its report on the public hearing held two weeks ago. They are further agitated by NMC's claim that many trees to be axed are barely a decade old. "Grassroots support keeps the juggernaut going and nourishes protestors' morale," said Kamod....