# NCP (SP) questions Maharashtra govt on forest land cases 2026-08-07T23:50:38+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) has questioned the Maharashtra government's differing approach in two forest land cases in Thane with similar legal histories. This comes a day after Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule declared the 1,053-acre Bhayanderpada-Owale land as reserved forest, reversing an earlier decision to retain private names in records. NCP (SP) district president Manoj Pradhan said the party has sought a white paper on the issue. He noted that in the 193-acre Chitalsar-Manpada case, the forest department failed to effectively defend the matter in the Bombay High Court, resulting in the land passing into private hands. The party plans to challenge the Chitalsar-Manpada verdict in the Supreme Court. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Tags: Bawankule, forest land, land dispute, Maharashtra, NCP, Thane Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/ncp-sp-questions-maharashtra-govt-on-forest-land-cases/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/ncp-sp-questions-maharashtra-govt-on-forest-land-cases/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.