VIOLATIONS AND PUNISHMENT

People need to get permission from the civic body as per the Maharashtra (urban areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975, to cut trees or its branches. The violation of the Act is a punishable offence for which one could be fined anything between Rs1,000 and Rs5, 000 and be impris-

oned for up to a week. “Anyone caught chopping a tree will be handed over to the police, the punishment is decided by the police, and it can either be a fine or a jail for a number of days,” said Chandrakant Tayade, administrative officer, garden department, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation.