Plot with 30,000 trees set on fire in Ambernath again

On Friday afternoon over 30,000 trees were set on fire in Ambernath. This is the second time when trees planted through plantation drives in Ambernath were set on fire within a week.

On November 23 around 3 pm, trees planted at Khuntavli village in Ambernath were set on fire. "Our staff was present at the spot when two minor boys set the trees on fire," said Dr Jitendra Ramgaokar, deputy conservator, forest department. "The fire was immediately brought under control and we are assessing the damage. We are in the process of lodging a police complaint and the motive behind the fire needs to be investigated," he said.

Though the number of trees that were affected is not known yet, Member of Parliament from Kalyan, Shrikant Shinde, laments that 60 to 70 per cent of the trees that were planted in Ambernath through various plantation drives have been affected.

On November 14 and 15, a plot with 1 lac trees at Ambernath's Mangrool village was set on fire. While Shinde said that 70% of the trees were affected by the fire, the forest department maintained that it was 12, 655 trees. And 50 per cent of these trees could be saved.

Shinde led a morcha on forest department's office this week and demanded a third-party audit of trees planted in drives. The forest department on its part initiated an inquiry against Ramgaokar and also suspended an officer.

It may be recalled that on November 14 and 15, some anti-social elements set one lakh trees on fire at Mangrool village in Malanggad, Ambernath. The fire affected trees which were planted in July 2017 with the help of 15,000 people on 80 acre of land. Shinde made arrangements for water to douse the flames.