Maharashtra: Man slapped with Rs 1 lakh fine for cutting down tree in Latur

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The civic body in Maharashtra's Latur city has registered a case against a man and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on him for allegedly cutting down a tree, an official said on Sunday, the PTI reported.

The man, a resident of ward no 15, allegedly cut down a 40-feet tall tree on Saturday and was in the process of felling another tree when a team of civic officials intervened, he said.

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The Latur Municipal Corporation issued a notice to the man imposing a fine of Rs 1 lakh on him and lodged a police complaint, based on which a case has been registered against him, the official said, according to the PTI.

Meanwhile, the Tree Authority of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued a notification stating that three trees will be cut and two will be replanted to ensure the smooth operation of a construction crane at the site of the reconstruction of Gokhale bridge in Andheri East. According to the notice, there are 10 trees at the spot five of which are being impacted are coming in the way of a crane that will be moved to carry out staging and will be used to launch girders. Civic officials claim four of the trees in question are small.

After receiving permission to cut the trees, in the next phase, assembling and staging will be taken up. "The staging site that is selected will be used for operating cranes. These trees must be removed for the smooth operation of the crane," a BMC official stated. "These trees are not affecting the alignment of the bridge. For girder launching we need to create a solid platform," said a BMC official.

Dhaval Shah, a resident of Andheri West and civic activist, said, "The BMC had planned to complete the first phase of the bridge by May. But, they woke up in June and found out that they need to cut trees. Are they serious about the project? According to the original plan, the first phase was to be completed in May and the entire project was to be completed by October. Later, they said that the entire work would be completed in November. Looking at the overall approach of the BMC, how can we believe their timeline?"

(with PTI inputs)