The police has arrested three persons for allegedly cutting trees to make way for illegal houses in Malvani area. Officials said the accused have been booked under the stringent Maharashtra Protection and Preservation of Trees (MPPT) Act, 1975 for illegally hacking the trees. They added that more than 10 people were involved in the activity and the remaining accused made a quick escape when they raided the place early on Sunday.
Officials said the accused made use of the darkness in the wee hours and were also familiar with the approach roads in the area.
Sources said the action was taken on the basis of a tip-off given to the police about the activity, which had been going on for quite some time. Residents of the region confirmed that the area behind gate number 3 of Malwani is covered by a thick layer of mangroves and trees and people cut the trees in the dead of night to make space for illegal houses.
The police acted under the supervision of inspector Mahesh Thakur. Investigating officers said the illegal tree hacking went on behind the old post office area of Malvani where the construction work of around 50 houses is currently on. The trees were apparently being hacked to make way for the houses.
Milind Khetle, senior police inspector of Malvani police station, confirmed the arrests. “Action has been taken from our end. We have also informed the garden department of BMC for further course of action,” said Mr Khetle.
Residents of the vicinity said on condition of anonymity that the illegal constructions have been going on in more secluded parts of the area under political guidance. “Most of these secluded areas are not easily accessible to the police or BMC officials. Secondly, this work goes on at night and thus manages to easily escape from the eyes of any officials,” said one of the residents.
He added that those who indulge in illegal tree hacking are migrants who are allowed to stay in the area and are later given benefits such as Aadhaar card to turn them into voters. “This is pure vote bank politics and trees are merely an obstacle they remove without any hassles,” he said.
