Mira-Bhayandar: The police have registered an offence against a hotelier for wrapping decorative lights around a tree outside his establishment in Kashimira. The action followed in response to complaints registered with the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) by Harshad Dhage founder of For Future India an organisation that primarily works on environmental and social issues. Dhage pointed out the brazen defacement while causing irreparable damage to hundreds of trees across the twin-city.
About The Case
Taking cognizance of the complaints, municipal commissioner Sanjay Katkar directed officials from the Tree Authority to conduct an inspection and take appropriate action against the violators. Subsequently, garden superintendent- Tushar Kale carried out site inspections and found a Saptami (Alstonia Scholaris) Tree also known as devil’s tree or scholar tree wrapped with decorative lights outside Hotel Namaskar located on the MIDC Road in Mira Road.
Armed with photographs of the trees, MBMC personnel Shamrao Ingle registered a complaint at the Kashimira police station following an offence under the relevant sections of the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975 against the hotel owner for causing damage to the tree.
This is said to be the first of its kind action taken by any civic body in the state, for wrapping lights around trees, officials said. Convictions in such cases can lead to punishments including monetary fines, and imprisonment for at least a week and up to a year.
“Of late, several commercial establishments across the twin-city have been decorating trees with lights which not only disrupt the tree’s natural day-night cycle, potentially affecting its growth and reproductive patterns, but also works as a slow poison for them. It’s an illegal act under the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975,” said Dhage while hailing the action as a significant step demonstrating the collective commitment towards preserving natural spaces for future generations.
Notably, the Bombay High Court in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) has also issued notices to the state government and municipal corporation on 10, April 2024 raising concern over the ill-effects of wrapping trees with decorative lights.
