Hundreds of trees on HMT forest in Peenya cut illegally for Yash-starrer ‘Toxic’: Minister Khandre
Bengaluru: Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre has alleged that hundreds of trees that were on the land owned by Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) in Peenya were cut illegally for the filming of the movie ‘Toxic’, starring Yash.
Stating that satellite images had displayed the HMT site, which was forestland, Khandre said that he had instructed Forest Department officers to take legal action against the guilty parties in the matter. The minister also paid a visit to the site on Tuesday for an inspection.
Khandre, who had earlier accused HMT of illegally selling the forestland to government and private institutions and that non-forestry activities were now being carried out the land, said that the forestland was sold to Canara Bank recently and a massive set for the movie ‘Toxic’ was erected after axing hundreds of trees on the site. He reminded that cutting trees on forestland without official permission was a punishable offence.
The minister said that the authorities had to verify if the permission granted followed regulations. He also clarified that granting permission as per regulations would attract disciplinary action on the government official who permitted the axing of trees, but strict action would have to be taken against all the responsible parties if the trees were cut without permission.
Supreeth, Executive Producer of KVN Productions, which is making the Yash-starrer, said that the site was private property and insisted that the company had not violated rules while making the movie. A thorough scanning of the property and all the necessary documentation work had been carried out in February 2024. The company was waiting for a report from Forest Department to challenge its claims, Supreeth added.
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Pakistan reports two more polio cases; Total tally now 52
ISLAMABAD: At least two more cases of poliovirus were reported in Pakistan, taking the number of infections to 52 so far this year, a report said on Friday.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Pakistan," an official statement said.
The fresh infections — a boy and a girl — were reported from the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the children is underway," the statement read. Dera Ismail Khan, one of the seven polio-endemic districts of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has reported five polio cases so far this year.
Of the 52 cases in the country this year, 24 are from Balochistan, 13 from Sindh, 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
There is no cure for polio. Only multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five can keep them protected.
