NAGPUR: After 20 days, the Bajaj Nagar police filed an offence in the case of illegal tree felling at premises of Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT).
On November 3, TOI had reported that 62 fully grown trees were felled inside the campus without taking mandatory permission from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation's (NMC) garden department. Following a complaint filed by advocate Suresh Dubey, NMC officials had conducted a spot panchnama and found that 33 trees of Subabul, 25 Keshiya, two Babul and one Neem were cut down.
The civic body had sent a notice to VNIT, which in its reply, stated that there was an urgent need to clear the accumulated water and subabul trees were creating a hindrance.
Sources told TOI that NMC had approached Bajaj Nagar police to file a first information report (FIR). On Thursday, an official from Bajaj Nagar police station confirmed that FIR was registered under Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act. "We have booked Raju Waghmare who was caught felling trees and the contractor who was allegedly constructing road in the premises. Further investigation is in process," official said.
Earlier, VNIT had alleged that the campus was hit by an outbreak of dengue. After NMC reportedly issued notices to the institution, VNIT started cutting down trees, to prevent water logging and stop further spread of dengue.
(With inputs from Praveen Tewari)
On November 3, TOI had reported that 62 fully grown trees were felled inside the campus without taking mandatory permission from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation's (NMC) garden department. Following a complaint filed by advocate Suresh Dubey, NMC officials had conducted a spot panchnama and found that 33 trees of Subabul, 25 Keshiya, two Babul and one Neem were cut down.
The civic body had sent a notice to VNIT, which in its reply, stated that there was an urgent need to clear the accumulated water and subabul trees were creating a hindrance.
Sources told TOI that NMC had approached Bajaj Nagar police to file a first information report (FIR). On Thursday, an official from Bajaj Nagar police station confirmed that FIR was registered under Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act. "We have booked Raju Waghmare who was caught felling trees and the contractor who was allegedly constructing road in the premises. Further investigation is in process," official said.
Earlier, VNIT had alleged that the campus was hit by an outbreak of dengue. After NMC reportedly issued notices to the institution, VNIT started cutting down trees, to prevent water logging and stop further spread of dengue.
(With inputs from Praveen Tewari)
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