Nagpur: In a weird incident, 27 full grown trees on disputed public utility land near Dattatreya Temple at Bharat Nagar were chopped down on Tuesday afternoon by some apparently unauthorized persons. Two teak trees marked for cutting, among many others on the land, were saved due to prompt action by vigilant nearby residents, who informed NMC officials, who acted swiftly to stop the cutting. The scrutiny report by NMC officials registered the loss of 10 full grown teak, 11 kat-umbar, three babool, two cassia and one katesawar trees.Nearby resident Sharad Jodh told TOI that three men — one Gunwant Nagpure, a certain Wankhede, and a black coat clad lawyer — brought a few labourers to the spot in the morning. Upon enquiry, Nagpure claimed to have purchased the land, and said they wished to start some construction.“Since he said he owned the land and produced some files with paperwork, we did not question him further. Later, when we heard sound of the electronic saws and the trees being chopped down, other neighbours rushed out and informed NMC officials. Sensing trouble from the authorities, the men and their labourers fled the spot before they could be caught,” he said.The land belongs to the Sahasrabuddhe family, which resides close to the spot. The said land, approximately 30,000 sq ft, is currently under government control due to some disputes, and serves as public utility land. One of the owners, architect Sudhakar Sahasrabuddhe, told TOI, “We don’t know who these people were, neither did we employ them. We have the ownership of the land in the name of Yashwant Social Welfare Society. The society secretary Mangesh Joshi informed NMC officials about the trees being cut.”Upon learning the identity of one of the men, Sahasrabuddhe added that the person has a history of causing problems and is often linked to such matters.An NMC official said, “This team of 11 people did not have any prior permission from NMC to cut trees. Had it not been for the neighbours and NMC workers, who reached on time, many trees would have fallen prey. Two of the trees have only trimming marks. The wood from the trees cut down was removed from the site and has been stored at Ambazari warehouse.”They also said NMC will be registering offences against Nagpure and Wankhede on Wednesday.

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