Thane: Yeoor forest officials want police help to intensify restrictions

Thane: In order to follow the state forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar's instructions of restricting entry at Yeoor forest from 11pm-7am, the forest officials at the gate of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Yeoor at Upvan in Thane, have demanded the deployment of cops with them at the gate.

Yeoor forest has been notified as an ecosensitive zone by the ministry of environment, forest and climate change.

A Thane-based social activist Yogesh Mundhara said, “For past many years illegal hotels, turfs, marriage lawns, and other illegal establishments have come up in Yeoor. People from Thane and nearby cities visit these places freely. DJ sounds and flood lights of turfs are being used throughout the night which creates a lot of nuisances to the wildlife and people residing nearby.”

Mundhara further added that a group of people from Yeoor along with some social activists and nature

lovers have complained about these illegal activities to Mungatiwar who ordered to provide police deployment at the gate to restrict entry and exit after 11 pm.

However, on April 16, around 12:44am, around 80 vehicles and over 100 people forced the officials to open the gate.

One of the forest officials who spoke to The Free Press Journal said that they have requested the Thane police chief for the police deployment.