Chandrakant Patil, Maharashtra Minister of Higher and Technical Education Minister, directed the Pune Forest Department and Pune Municipal Corporation to implement safety measures to prevent fire incidents on the 17 hills surrounding the city.
During a press meeting regarding the security of these hills, Patil assured that necessary funds would be made available for the purpose. He also emphasised the need to take strict action against unauthorised construction on these hills.
The meeting was conducted after considering the seriousness of the recent fire incidents at Mhatoba Hill in Kothrud. Mahadev Mohite, Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF), Pune, Deputy Commissioner of Police Sambhaji Kadam, PMC officials and residents were present at the meeting.
Highlighting the damage caused by fires, Patil stated, "Around 6,500 trees were planted on the Mhatoba Hill. However, the fire incident has destroyed nearly 2,500 trees. The administration needs to take strict measures to prevent such incidents in the future."
Patil also suggested initiatives such as removing weeds to promote healthy tree growth, constructing protective walls in the required areas, installing solar-powered CCTV cameras at key locations to monitor activities on the hills and increasing the number of security personnel.
Patil assured that a meeting with the PMC would be conducted on January 23 to discuss these matters in detail and stated that preventive steps would be taken as soon as possible.
