Chandrakant Patil Proposes Safety Measures to Prevent Fires on Pune’s 17 Hills

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Pune, 13th January 2025: Maharashtra’s Higher Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil has proposed that the administration and Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) should implement safety measures, in collaboration with citizens, to prevent recurring fires on the 17 hills in the Pune city area. He assured that funds would be made available for this purpose. Patil also emphasized the need for action against unauthorized construction on the hills and announced a meeting with the PMC Commissioner on 23rd January to discuss PMC-related issues.

Following three fire incidents on Mhatoba Hill in Kothrud, a review meeting was held today at Van Bhawan under Patil’s chairmanship to address the safety of Pune’s hills. The meeting was attended by Deputy Forest Conservator Mahadev Mohite, Deputy Commissioner of Police Sambhaji Kadam, Divisional Forest Officer Snehal Patil, Assistant Conservator of Forest Deepak Pawar, Deputy Commissioner of PMC Avinash Sapkal, and concerned citizens.

During the meeting, Patil highlighted that about 6,500 trees were planted on Mhatoba Hill in Kothrud, and an attempt was made to destroy approximately 2,500 trees by setting them on fire. He stressed the need for strict measures to prevent such incidents and outlined several action points.

Patil stated that the forest department should work on removing weeds to promote proper tree growth on the hill. He emphasized that the construction of a protective wall should be expedited and the forest area should be protected, with security guards stationed at the entrance. Additionally, designated areas on the hill should be established for tree maintenance and high-capacity, solar-powered CCTV cameras should be installed.

To prevent untoward incidents, the minister proposed increasing the number of security guards patrolling the area from 2 to 8. He assured that funds would be provided for necessary equipment such as two-wheelers and solar lamps for patrolling.