The Maharashtra government is planning to develop a new hill station adjacent to Mahabaleshwar in Satara district. It will be likely named as New Mahabaleshwar. This will include 235 villages and a part of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve.
Sources suggest that the plan will be made public within a month. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is the regional planning body for New Mahabaleshwar. The primary goal of this plan is to decongest Mahabaleshwar.
The planning department is working on a complete plan, as per the mandate. The earlier plan covered only 58 villages. However, the current plan now includes 235 villages. The area covered by the plan also includes parts of the Jawali, Patan, and Satara tehsils.
There have already been four meetings with various stakeholders. Surveys have also been conducted using LIDAR technology and drones to gather data for the plan. The development plan proposes nine-meter-wide roads and includes provisions for various amenities.
About 60% of the newly proposed Mahabaleshwar region comprises the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve and surrounding forests. The goal will be to promote ecotourism and sustainable development. Interestingly, boating and scuba diving facilities have already been established in the Munavale area by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC).
The idea for this new hill station was first proposed by Vikramsinh Patankar, the state's PWD minister, from 1999 to 2004. However, little progress was made until recently. The plan gained renewed attention from Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who originally belonged to Satara.
However, the plan faces opposition from environmental groups and activists. It should also be noted that the forest department was not consulted on the plan.
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