Illegal tree-cutting may be a non-bailable offence.

Prakash Joshi, TNN Jan 29, 2005, 11.31pm IST

Cut a tree illegally and you could find yourself in a police lock-up. In view of the dwindling forest cover in the state, the state forest department is proposing to make illegal hacking of trees a non-bailable offence. This means, the police will not have a right to let an offender off on bail but will have to produce him or her before a magistrate for bail.
"Cutting a tree is like killing a person. It affects the entire environment and it should be regarded as a very serious offence," forest minister Babanrao Pachpute told TOI on Friday. Currently, only 20% of the state is covered by forests.
Pachpute has set up a committee headed by forest secretary Ashok Khot to study the present law and recommend amendments to make tree falling a non-bailable offence, within a month. At present, as per section 21 of the Maharashtra Preservation of Trees Act, 1971, the punishment for cutting trees is a fine of Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 and imprisonment ranging from one week to one year.