Bhor: An arson incident at a solar power substation in Bhongavali, located in Bhor taluka, resulted in damages worth ₹3.09 crore on Saturday. Based on a complaint filed by the operating company, the Rajgad police have taken four individuals into custody. The arrested suspects have been identified as Santosh Shamrao Nigade (59), Nilesh Shankar Bhande (36), Vasant Malaji Parabal (49), and Sharad Bhausaheb Tathe (45), all residents of Bhongavali, Bhor.

Police have registered a case against them under various sections, following which the Bhor Civil and Sessions Court remanded them to police custody until Monday. The complaint was lodged by the company supervisor, Bishumay Shivnand Ghosh (31, native of West Bengal). According to police details, a mob of nearly 40 to 50 people threw petrol-filled bags into a container and went on a rampage inside the premises. The rioters assaulted and verbally abused laborers working on the site, and vandalized and set fire to containers, a JCB, a Poklain excavator, and other machinery.

On behalf of GS Pune Three Transmission Private Limited, West Bengal-based Techno Electric Engineering Company is setting up a 765/400/200 kV solar power substation and high-tension line across approximately 100 acres of land, located one kilometer from the village. Work on this ambitious Central Government project had been ongoing under police protection for the past four months. The electricity generated through this project is intended to be supplied to various states across the country via an interstate power grid.

On the other hand, local villagers and office-bearers of the ‘Bhor, Rajgad Substation and Tower Line Removal Struggle Committee’ have leveled serious allegations against the company. They claim that with administrative assistance, land excavation, tree felling, and damage to public property are being carried out arbitrarily without taking local residents into confidence, leading to severe resentment among the villagers.