HIT-AND RUN: TWO DIE IN SEPARATE ROAD ACCIDENTS

KALYAN: Two people died in two separate accidents in Bhiwandi and Badlapur.

On Thursday, Sharmila Ishwar Poojari, 34, a resident of NaigaoninBhiwandi, wasriding pillion on a motorcycle at ThaneMumbai road at Kharegaon bridge. Her husband was riding the two-wheeler and she was sitting pillion with her 10-year-old son.

She lost balance after a car suddenly crashed into the twowheeler. She fell and died of severe head injuries.

A complaint was registered at the Narpoli station by her 46-year-old husband. The police booked the four-wheeler driver under section 304(A), 279 and 337 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 148 of Motor vehicles act.

“She was taken to the hospital but declared dead by the doctors. The car driver fled from the spot. We are trying to trace the driver,” saidanofficerofNarpoli police station.

In another such incident on Wednesday, a man died and another injured in a tempo-motorcycle collision at Badlapur.

A tempo carrying chicken collided with the bike at Sonale village on Badlapur-Murbad Highwayaround9.30pm.JaganRama Mengle, 30, who was riding the two-wheeler, died on the spot, pillion rider Dinesh Thombre, 26, is critically injured, said the police. The Badlapur rural police said the unidentified tempo driver was driving the vehicle on the wrong side.

An officer from the Badlapur rural police station said, “The vehicles collided as the tempo was plying on the wrong side on theroadanditwasalsospeeding. The driver is on run. We have registered a case based on the statement of the injured.”

THANE: More than 160 bird nests were safely removed from 128 trees in the past three days along the Metro 4 route on Wadala to Kasarvadavli stretch.

Environmental organisations, forest department and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) carried out the drive before felling the trees for the projects.

A total of 913 trees were surveyed to check for nests or habitation of any kind of wildlife, after which MMRDA gave a go-ahead to transplant the trees.

For the first time in Thane, officials undertook a scientific survey on trees affected in developmental project.

Thefirstsurveyofnestsonthe trees was done in first week of January. Since the trees were not transplanted in more than three weeks, an extensive survey of all the 913 trees was undertaken this week.

Pawan Sharma, president of Resqink Association for Wildlife welfare (RAWW), said, “We found that 128 trees had bird nests. Around 160 nests were found in our survey. We also climbed up trees to ensure we haven’t missed any nest which might have been hidden among branches. All the nests found were empty and not occupied by birds or young ones. We have removedthemfromthetreesand askedtheMMRDAtotransplant so the trees will not be reoccupied.”

Sharma said this patch was easy as the trees were along the roads and rare bird species do not occupy such trees. Moreover, the noise from on-going construction activity might also havescaredthebirdsandmostof them might have flown away.

He said that they chose to survey the trees at this time as this was not the nesting season for birds.

“Nests were empty and we will not have to deal with baby birds. Despite our best care, we would have not treated the small birds the same way as the

› We found that 128 trees had bird nests. Around 160 nests were found in our survey. We also climbed up trees to ensure we haven’t missed any nest which may have been hidden... All the nests were empty. PAWAN SHARMA, , president of RAWW

mother. We have handed over the empty nests to the forest department who will make a report certifying that they were empty and we have not harmed any birds.”

He said most of the nests were of crows and pigeons. “The same pattern should be repeated in other projects,” Sharma added.

Manoj Pardeshi, forester, wildlife, Thane, said, “Following the destruction of wildlife in Aarey forest, it was a collective decision to save at least the nests on the trees which will be affected in the Metro project. We counted all the trees which had nestsandremovedthenests.The nests were made from binding wires used in constructions, metal wires and twigs.”

Pardeshi said that while none of the nests was occupied, the decision to destroy or relocate them will be taken by the superiors.

“We will submit a report to them that none of these nests were occupied nor did any of them have eggs in them. As per the norms of the Wildlife Act, a further course of action will be decided.”

Around 11% work on the Metro Line 4 project is completed. The deadline to complete the project is 2022-23.

An MMRDA official requesting anonymity said, “We had transplanted around 150 trees till now which did not have nests as per the earlier survey of the forestdepartmentandtheNGOs. They had requested us not to transplant any more trees until the nest count was completed. Now that they have completed the nest count, we will start the transplantationoftheremaining trees. We plant to complete it in one month.”