7 trees ‘poisoned’ on Kalyan Smart City Road, finds KDMC; files police complaint

Kalyan: The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation’s (KDMC) gardening department has lodged a police complaint against unidentified persons for allegedly attempting to destroy at least seven trees along Kalyan’s Smart City road using the ‘drill-and-poison’ method.

Khadakpada police have registered a non-cognisable offence under Section 21 of the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975.

KDMC garden superintendent Sanjay Jadhav said the civic body had conducted a panchnama and found that seven trees had been targeted. “Since this is a criminal offence, we lodged a police complaint. Police will now investigate the matter,” Jadhav said..

The incident came to light after local environmentalist Dinesh Salve received information from a friend, Kunal Sonawane, that a few trees between D B Chowk and Ganesh Mandir had suspicious holes at their base. He visited the spot and found that holes had been drilled into the trunks of several fully grown trees. Salve claimed that when he poured water into the holes, a sticky substance started oozing out, indicating possible use of chemical toxins to aggressively dry up and kill the trees.

He posted a video of the affected trees on social media, which soon went viral, sparking outrage among local residents and environmentalists.

Taking cognisance of the video, mayor Harshali Chowdhary Thavil ordered an inquiry and gave an assurance that strict action would be taken against those found responsible for attempting to destroy the trees. KDMC’s garden department head Sanjay Jadhav said they have conducted a panchnama of the affected trees and are examining the CCTV footage and other evidence from the area.

The D B Chowk-Ganesh Mandir stretch was developed under the Smart City project and includes pedestrian pathways, beautification works, tree plantations, and Kalyan’s first dedicated cycling track. However, residents have repeatedly raised concerns over increasing hawker encroachments along the stretch over the past few months.

Salve, who works for tree conservation and claims to have planted 150 to 200 trees in Kalyan city, alleged that earlier too, attempts were made to occupy portions of the Smart City road through encroachments.