PERNEM: Illegal hill cutting continues unabated in Junaswada, Mandrem without any action by the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department or the police despite repeated complaints from the locals.
On Saturday accompanied by the locals, Mandrem Sarpanch Prashant alias Bala Naik inspected the alleged hill cutting the site. “ Despite High Court directives to stop illegal hill cutting immediately, the police have not taken any action,” said the sarpanch
“Mandrem police station is merely 200 metres away from the site of the illegal hill cutting and yet the police do not stop the illegal hill cutting. The police are turning a blind eye despite several complaints. Police officials who do not serve the purpose of serving the people should be transferred and good personnel who will cooperate with the locals in keeping the illegalities in check should brought,” he demanded.
Adv Prasad Shahapurkar, who has filed a complaint said that the alleged illegal hill cutting in survey number 365/1 has been going on since last year. The complaints to stop it had been given to the TCP department in October 2023 and a copy was given to the police station as well. He further said that in March this year, when the locals demanded action from the Mandrem police station, they were informed that no complaint had been received.
“There was no Mandrem police station when we had first filed our complaint against the illegal hill cutting. So the order given by the TCP department to the Pernem police station should apply to the Mandrem police station, which is a new police station with the jurisdiction,” Shahapurkar said.
