Updated On: 18 May, 2024 07:02 AM IST | Mumbai | Apoorva Agashe
Three fully grown trees ‘poisoned’ to improve digital board visibility; investigation underway

Dried trees in Powai due to alleged poisoning. Pic/Rajesh Gupta
The BMC’s S Ward has registered an FIR against an unknown person who allegedly poisoned trees on Jain Mandir Road, Powai. Residents in the area allege that some individuals deliberately poisoned three fully-grown trees to improve the visibility of a digital billboard. The matter came to light when BMC representatives approached the Powai police station to register three separate FIRs. The garden department of the civic body alleged that unknown individuals either cut or poisoned the trees in 2023.
According to the BMC, one large coconut tree and two fenugreek pod trees were allegedly poisoned by unknown persons. “We received a complaint in October last year that some trees were poisoned. One coconut tree from Paradise Society and two trees from the nearby area were affected. We found holes in the trees during our investigation. Initially, a non-cognisable (NC) report was registered, which was later converted into FIRs. The trees have dried up in the Paradise Society,” said a BMC official.