A magistrate's court in Maharashtra has ordered a farmer who unintentionally triggered a massive wildfire to plant 1,000 saplings and take care of them.
Subhash Ramrao Patil, resident of Nandgaon village in Satara district, admitted to his guilt before a Judicial Magistrate First Class in Karad tehsil on Friday.
Magistrate S A Virani then ordered him to pay a fine of Rs 5,000, and also plant 1,000 saplings and take care of them.
Mr Patil was asked to submit a detailed report about the plantation and survival of saplings to the forest department's office at Malkapur.
"A complaint had been filed against Patil under the Indian Forest Act in April for setting sugarcane stubble in his farm on fire. Due to the strong wind, the fire spread to the adjacent forest," said a forest official.
As many as 1,622 fully grown trees of Banyan, Peepal, Senegalia catechu (Khair), Neem, Kanchan and Karanja (Millettia pinnata) were completely destroyed in the blaze and the grass on a large tract of land was also damaged, he said.
During the hearing, Patil admitted to his mistake but argued that it was not his intention to start a wildfire, the official added.
"We welcome this decision as it would sensitize people about forest conservation, he said.
Thief Returns Valuables After Realising House Belonged To Renowned Poet Opinion: Opinion | Setback In Maharashtra, Gains In Bypolls: INDIA Bloc Gets A Mixed Bag 7 Congress MLAs Cross-Voted In Key Maharashtra Polls: Sources Under-Fire Trainee IAS Officer Accuses Pune Collector Of Harassment "No Defamatory Remarks Against Governor": High Court To Mamata Banerjee What Trump Rally Shooter Did On Last Day Of His Life Elon Musk To Move Companies Out Of California Over Transgender Law Four In Five Americans Fear Country Is Sliding Into Chaos: Polls Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Launched In India; Prices Start At Rs. 2.39 Lakh Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.