Latest news with #SharadPatil
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Thane Police bust: Truck with illegal khair wood caught; Rs 41 lakh load, driver held
THANE: The Thane crime branch unit-5 arrested a truck driver for illegally transporting prohibited khair wood worth over Rs 41 lakh in a late-night operation near Nitin Naka. Acting on credible intelligence received on June 16, 2025, Assistant Police Inspector Sharad Patil of Crime Branch Wagle Unit 5 learned that a Gujarat registered truck would be illegally transporting prohibited khair wood via the Nitin Naka route around 1:00 AM on June 17, heading towards Majiwada. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Based on this information, police laid a trap on the designated route and successfully intercepted the vehicle. The arrested accused was identified as Anilkumar Ramchandra Gupta, aged 54 years, who works as a driver and resides in Dhule. During the inspection of the seized truck, police discovered 10.5 tons of khair wood solid timber logs valued at Rs 31.72 lakh. The total seizure, including the Gujarat registered truck, amounts to Rs 41.75 lakh. 'The consignment was picked up from Nandurbar and was headed to the Konkan region. The other links of the accused are under investigation,' said Salil Bhisale, Senior Inspector of Crime Branch Unit-5. A case was registered at Wagle Estate Police Station under various sections, including Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Section 303(2), 3(5), and Indian Forest Act 1927 Sections 41(B), 42, and 72(B). Assistant Police Inspector Shri Sharad Yuvraj Patel of Unit 5 Wagle is conducting further investigation into the matter. Khair wood is a protected species under the Indian Forest Act, and its unauthorized transportation and trade are strictly prohibited.
Time of India
12 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
Over 4,100 Trees In Nagpur Found Choked, Just 1,100 Freed So Far: NMC to HC
1 2 Nagpur: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) on Thursday informed the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court that over 4,147 trees across the city were found choked by concrete, but only 1,104 were de-choked so far despite directives and multiple agency involvement. The data was submitted during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL No. 39/2024) filed by environmental activists Sharad Patil, Prachi Mahurkar, Yash Netke, and Preeti Patel through counsel Radhika Bajaj. As per petitioners, while executing road improvement projects, the work of concretisation by cement, asphalt, or bitumen is choking roots of trees. They claimed though administrative instructions are issued to the contractors and subordinate officers to ensure removal of concrete, asphalt, or bitumen near trees, effective steps are not being taken by respondents. NMC counsel Jemini Kasat submitted the affidavit and minutes of meetings with agencies such as NHAI, NIT, and PWD, confirming the extent of choking and partial progress on relief efforts. Kasat told the court two experts—Kaustav Chatterjee of Green Vigil Foundation and Dilip Chinchmalatpure—were included in official de-choking panel as per court's earlier order. The panel has begun conducting site visits to verify work and shared technical recommendations, including removing concrete as per Urban Green Guidelines 2014, ensuring soil aeration, and protecting root systems. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo "The experts delivered a presentation on best practices and are expected to submit their assessments during the next review," Kasat said, adding that officials from PWD and NHAI have also been included for effective implementation on the ground. The petitioners objected to their exclusion from committee despite prior experience in tree conservation. The bench, comprising Justices Nitin Sambre and Sachin Deshmukh, questioned the civic body on this omission. NMC also submitted various govt departments have started following the 2014 Urban Green Guidelines and cited ongoing environmental audits by NEERI. Kasat informed the court Environment Status Reports (ESR) for the years 2017–18 to 2023–24 (barring 2021–22 due to the pandemic) were prepared scientifically by NEERI and submitted. The 2024–25 ESR is currently under preparation. The division bench gave time to file compliance documents, directing the finalised ESR for 2024–25 to be submitted by July 1, and adjourned the matter to July 9. The PIL highlights the alarming decline in Nagpur's green cover, which decreased from 31 percent in 1999 to a mere 21 percent in 2018, as per a study conducted by ISRO's Regional Remote Sensing Centre in 2019. The petitioners attribute this drastic reduction to the rapid expansion of urban infrastructure projects, which have adversely affected the city's once-abundant greenery.
Time of India
16 hours ago
- Time of India
Truck driver arrested for illegal transportation of prohibited khair wood worth Rs 32 lakh near Mumbai
Thane: The Thane crime branch unit-5 arrested a truck driver for illegally transporting prohibited khair wood worth over Rs 32 lakh in a late-night operation near Nitin Naka. Acting on credible intelligence received on June 16, 2025, assistant police inspector Sharad Patil of Crime Branch Wagle Unit 5 learned that a Gujarat registered truck would be illegally transporting prohibited khair wood via the Nitin Naka route around 1 am on June 17, heading towards Majiwada. Based on this information, police laid a trap on the designated route and successfully intercepted the vehicle. The arrested accused was identified as Anilkumar Ramchandra Gupta, aged 54 years, who works as a driver and resides in Dhule. During the inspection of the seized truck, police discovered 10.5 tons of khair wood solid timber logs valued at Rs 31.72 lakh. The total seizure, including the Gujarat registered truck, amounts to Rs 41.75 lakh. "The consignment was picked up from Nandurbar and was headed to the Konkan region. The other links of the accused are under investigation," Salil Bhisale, senior inspector of Crime Branch Unit-5, said. A case was registered at Wagle Estate Police Station under various sections, including Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Section 303(2), 3(5), and Indian Forest Act 1927 Sections 41(B), 42, and 72(B). Assistant police inspector Sharad Yuvraj Patel of Unit 5 Wagle is conducting further investigation into the matter. Khair wood is a protected species under the Indian Forest Act, and its unauthorized transportation and trade are strictly prohibited.
