Forest dept confirms no encroachment on forest land in Mohammadwadi
Forest official confirmed that there is no encroachment on reserve forest land in Mohammadwadi after visiting the area on Tuesday as per the directions of the forest department head office
PUNE A forest official confirmed that there is no encroachment on reserve forest land in Mohammadwadi after visiting the area on Tuesday as per the directions of the forest department head office. The forest department had instructed the official to visit the reserve forest land in Mohammadwadi to verify a citizen’s claim of encroachment on that land. The forest department plans to write about this to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) as most of the projects mentioned in the citizen’s complaint are located on PMC land.
Jaymala Dhankikar, a resident of Mohammadwadi, had written an email to the ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEFCC) on August 7 stating that the reserve forest area in Mohammadwadi and Kondhwa has suffered immense environmental damage over the past 20 years due to indiscriminate tree cutting and hilltop flattening for various residential and commercial projects. The email stated that these activities have caused unprecedented environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity, soil erosion, increased occurrence of landslides, and incidents of severe flooding during the monsoon season.
In the email, Dhankikar had also demanded that a committee be appointed to investigate the lapses on the part of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and environment department, assess future dangers posed to the area residents, and recommend remedial measures to mitigate the damage.
After receiving Dhankikar’s email, the MoEFCC on August 23 directed the principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF), Maharashtra forest department, to look into the matter and take necessary action as per the provisions of extant acts, rules and regulations in force. The PCCF then directed the deputy conservator of forests, Pune forest department, to verify Dhankikar’s claim. Accordingly, a team of forest officials from Wanowrie visited Mohammadwadi on September 10. The team also interacted with Dhankikar.
Raj Varak, range forest officer, Wanowrie-Mohammadwadi, said, “Our team visited the location. But we found that there is no land alteration or encroachment on the reserve forest land in this area. We have conveyed the same to the complainant and other residents as well. Our team is now preparing a report on the same and soon, it will be submitted to the higher authorities.”
Mahadev Mohite, deputy conservator of forests, Pune forest department, said, “We have confirmed that there is no encroachment on reserve forest land in the Mohammadwadi area. The projects that the complainant has claimed are located on PMC land and we will be writing about it to the municipal corporation soon.”
When contacted, Dhankikar said, “Forest officials visited our area, inspected it, and also took information from us. The official during the inspection suggested that Continuous Contour Trench (CCT) can be constructed to prevent water flowing down the hill causing flooding and soil erosion in the area. They are also considering setting up fencing along the hillside. The officer said that it will be conveyed to the head officer and action will be taken as per further instructions.”
