Residents challenge project site
RAIPUR: A protest against the clearing of a wooded tract for the proposed Chitrotpala Film City and Tribal and Cultural Convention Centre at Mana-Tuta in Nava Raipur has brought the conflict between infrastructure plans and local environmental concerns into sharp focus. Villagers physically held on to trees to prevent their removal, leading to a confrontation with police and the detention of 10 protesters at Mana police station.
The incident took place after clearing work resumed at the site. Residents had earlier joined Congress workers in opposing the cutting of trees, following which operations were temporarily stopped. When workers returned to the area, villagers again attempted to block the work. A video said to show a scuffle between villagers and police personnel also emerged during the confrontation, adding to tensions around the project.
Police later permitted the detained villagers to leave after about an hour. Congress leaders, including the party’s city and rural district presidents, had assembled outside the police station and held a protest seeking their release. The episode has given the dispute a wider political dimension, but the central issue raised by residents remains the proposed removal of mature woodland for the entertainment infrastructure project.
Demand for relocation
Residents have said they are not opposed to development as such, but want the film city to be shifted to another location in Nava Raipur. According to their account, many of the trees marked for removal are between 30 and 40 years old. They fear that clearing the approximately 100-acre project site will cause extensive damage to the remaining wooded area.
The protest has drawn comparisons with the Chipko movement, in which villagers, particularly women, used tree-hugging as a form of resistance against felling. The movement began in the Garhwal Himalayas in 1973 and became nationally prominent the following year after village women led by Gaura Devi confronted tree-cutting contractors at Reni, in present-day Uttarakhand. At Mana-Tuta, the same method has become a visible expression of opposition to the loss of trees in the expanding capital region.
Project and protest at a glance
| Issue | Details |
|---|---|
| Project | Chitrotpala Film City and Tribal and Cultural Convention Centre |
| Location | Mana-Tuta, Nava Raipur |
| Site area | Approximately 100 acres |
| Trees cited by residents | Many said to be 30–40 years old |
| Sanctioned amount | ₹95.79 crore |
| Foundation ceremony | January 24, 2026 |
The foundation ceremony for the project was conducted by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on January 24, 2026. The government has sanctioned ₹95.79 crore for the initiative. The current confrontation shows that the project’s administrative approval has not settled the question of how its land footprint should be reconciled with the trees and woodland that residents say define the site.
Villagers have warned of further demonstrations if clearing continues. Their position places the responsibility on the authorities to address the ecological cost of the project while pursuing Nava Raipur’s development plans. For residents, the demand is not simply to stop one day’s work, but to reconsider whether a large public investment can proceed at the expense of established trees when an alternative site is, in their view, possible.
The immediate detention and subsequent release of the protesters have eased the day’s confrontation, but not the underlying disagreement. Unless the concerns over the mature trees, the extent of clearing and the proposed location are addressed, the film city site is likely to remain a point of friction between the state’s development agenda and grassroots resistance in the Raipur region.
- Villagers used tree-hugging protests to oppose clearing at Mana-Tuta.
- Police detained 10 protesters before allowing them to leave after about an hour.
- Residents are seeking relocation of the project and have threatened further demonstrations.
