Maharashtra minister compares soldier sacrifice with tree cutting for progress, faces flak
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra Environment Minister Pankaja Munde has drawn a parallel between the sacrifice of soldiers at the border and the cutting of trees, including mangroves, for development, triggering sharp reactions on social media.
Activist Anjali Damania posted the viral clip on social media platform X on Saturday, saying she felt sorry for the minister's "intelligence" over the comparison.
Defending the rationale behind felling trees for development during an interaction at Mumbai Climate Week, Munde said, "The way a mother brings up her son and then has the audacity or guts to send him to the border to fight for the country, similarly, if we grow trees, we may have to cut them, but we can plant them somewhere else.
"You cannot say no to progress because we have to preserve trees. If we have to cut five trees for progress, we can grow 10 more trees. That is the only way," she added.
Munde said trees, like soldiers, protect people while they are alive and even when removed, contribute to development.
"Think of those trees as soldiers. Till the time they are living, they are protecting us, and if they are taken off, they are still working for development," the BJP leader added.
The remarks come amid ongoing debates over mangrove cutting and urban infrastructure projects in Mumbai.
"While people discuss climate issues in comfort, soldiers stand in snow and deserts risking their lives for the country. We are sitting here in a five-star hotel talking about Mumbai Climate Week, having tea, coffee and cookies, but somebody is standing in the snow and the desert, playing with their lives for us.
"They are sacrificing, so how are we thankful to them? That way, I treat those trees. These are my personal opinions," the minister added.
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Nine of family killed as car falls into well in Nashik district
Nashik (PTI): Nine members of a family, including six children, were killed after their car fell into a well in Maharashtra's Nashik district, police said on Saturday.
The accident occurred in the Shivaji Nagar area of Dindori town around 10 pm on Friday, an official said.
The victims were heading home after attending a function at a banquet hall in the area when their car fell into a well near the venue, he said.
Personnel from the local police and emergency services arrived at the scene and retrieved the car and its occupants with the help of two cranes and swimmers around midnight.
The victims were members of the Dargude family from Indore village in Dindori taluka, the official said.
According to the police, the deceased were identified as Sunil Dattu Dargude (32), his wife Reshma, Asha Anil Dargude (32), and six children from the family, five girls in the age group of seven to 14 years and an 11-year-old boy.
Their bodies were brought to the government hospital in Dindori, the official said, adding that a case has been registered and a probe is underway to ascertain the cause of the accident.
