Nashik: Six arrested for allegedly cutting 55 trees to clear ad visibility

Six people have been arrested for allegedly cutting down 55 trees without permission in Nashik’s Gangapur Road area, apparently to ensure that advertisement boards placed along the road dividers remained visible, police said on Thursday.

The case was registered following a complaint by Shrikant Kisan Iranak, a resident of Karanjkar Nagar in the Jail Road area. According to the complaint, the accused allegedly cut 55 ‘Termilia Madagaskar’ (Indian Christmas Tree) trees on the afternoon of August 30.

The trees had been planted by the Nashik Municipal Corporation on the road divider between Jehan Circle and Bendkule Nagar Road for shade and beautification, police said.

The illegal felling allegedly caused damage to civic property estimated at Rs 2.75 lakh and also resulted in damage to the road divider, an official said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Monika Raut said the preliminary investigation indicated that the trees were allegedly cut because they obstructed the visibility of advertisements installed along the dividers.

The accused have been identified as Abhimanyu Kashinath Khairnar (37), Dilip Sadu Bendkule (34), Deepak Santosh Date (25), Rohidas Pandurang Khurkhute (45), Arjun Dattu Charoskar (38) and Macchindra Vijay Deshmukh (44).

Police said the six were booked under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, the Environment (Protection) Act and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

The accused were produced before a court and remanded in police custody until September 21, the Gangapur police official said. The investigation is underway.

with inputs from PTI