25 June,2026 08:00 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Forest Minister said Gadchiroli district alone accounted for 7,042 fire cases, making it one of the most severely affected regions. Representational Pic
Maharashtra recorded more than 5,100 forest fire incidents during 2023-24, affecting over 11,580.707 hectares of forest land, Forest Minister Ganesh Naik informed the state legislative assembly on Thursday, PTI reported.
He was replying to questions raised by MLAs, including Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Bhaskar Jadhav, Shiv Sena member Nilesh Rane, and BJP MLA Prashant Thakur.
According to the minister's written reply, a total of 5,117 forest fire incidents were reported across the state during the year.
He said Gadchiroli district alone accounted for 7,042 fire cases, making it one of the most severely affected regions.
In a separate reply, Naik said that around 3.5 lakh trees were illegally felled in Maharashtra's forest areas over the last five years, Forest Minister Ganesh Naik informed the state legislative assembly on Thursday, reported PTI.
The minister shared the information in a written reply to queries raised by Shiv Sena's Nilesh Rane and other MLAs.
According to the data, the illegally cut trees included 1.24 lakh teak trees, resulting in an estimated loss of Rs 30 crore to the state exchequer.
In a separate written reply to a question by Sanjay Meshram (Congress) and others, the minister said seven people were killed in wild animal attacks in April this year.
The attacks involved tigers, leopards and elephants across multiple districts, including Nagpur, Sangli, Gadchiroli, Amravati, Mumbai, Pune, Ahilyanagar, Nashik and Chandrapur.
Forest Minister Naik said the incidents highlight the ongoing human-wildlife conflict across several regions of the state.
According to PTI, while responding to concerns raised over fires in forest and agricultural areas in the Konkan region, the minister said the government is using AI-based systems for monitoring, detection, and awareness to reduce fire incidents.
He added that districts such as Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg frequently report such incidents.
Naik noted that many fire incidents occur due to the practice of burning dry leaves and crop residue, which some farmers believe improves soil fertility, PTI reported.
However, he said scientific studies show that such practices damage soil quality, and the government is running awareness campaigns to promote natural composting methods.
During the discussion, Bhaskar Jadhav urged amendments to existing laws to ensure stricter action against deliberate destruction of forests and greater accountability for landowners.
Several MLAs also demanded stronger preventive measures and enforcement mechanisms.
Naik assured the House that the government would examine the suggestions and consider strengthening legal provisions to better protect forest resources.
