Punawale Kate Wadi Residents Concerned Over Increasing Forest Fire Incidents, Seek Help From Forest DeptÂ
Punawale Kate Wadi Residents Concerned Over Increasing Forest Fire Incidents, Seek Help From Forest Dept
A concerning trend has emerged in the Punawale Kate Wadi forest, where unidentified individuals have been igniting trees and engaging in unauthorized deforestation over the past few weeks.
Initially proposed as a site for a garbage depot, the area witnessed vehement opposition from its 100,000 residents, leading to the cancellation of the plan by MLA Ashwini Jagtap during the winter session. Despite subsequent rulings by the National Green Tribunal and the Maharashtra Assembly in December 2023, scrapping the depot, incidents of forest fires persist, demanding urgent attention.
Rohan Chodankar attributes the genesis of the issue to the prolonged proposal for a garbage depot, pending since 2008, which faced resistance owing to burgeoning population concerns. Despite parliamentary cancellation of the plan and the land’s jurisdiction under the Forest Department, no decisive action has been taken against the rampant illegal deforestation.
Efforts by local residents to seek intervention from authorities, including the police, forest department, and the National Green Tribunal, have yielded no tangible results. Moreover, the absence of tree plantation initiatives exacerbates worries regarding ecological degradation.
The proximity of residential areas heightens the risk of property damage from forest fires, exacerbating the threat to both human settlements and natural habitats.
Sumit Dhage, an IT engineer, identifies labor camp occupants and brick factory workers as prime contributors to the fires, driven by the need for wood despite warnings from the forest department.
The escalation of forest fires poses an imminent threat to Punawale Kate Wadi’s biodiversity and underscores the urgent need for coordinated governmental action to preserve this vital ecosystem.
Harjeet Chabra
