Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik on Thursday, 25 June told the state Legislative Assembly that the government is planning amendments to the Forest Act of 1962 to crack down on those responsible for the surge in forest fires across the Konkan region. In a separate disclosure, Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane revealed that a remote-sensing-backed probe in Jalgaon district had uncovered a large-scale fake crop insurance fraud involving 27,416 applicants, saving the state approximately ₹164.58 crore in fraudulent payouts.

Konkan Forest Fires: Scale and Causes

Minister Naik, responding to a question raised by MLA Prashant Thakur, presented alarming figures on the extent of forest fire damage. In the Thane forest circle alone, 1,659 hectares of land were destroyed across 1,009 incidents. The Kolhapur region recorded 85 hectares burned in 34 incidents, while the Mumbai West Wildlife Division saw 145 hectares affected across 95 incidents. A total of 1,226 forest-fire-related offences have been registered, and investigations are underway.

Naik attributed the fires to a combination of human negligence and deliberate acts — including carelessly discarded burning bidi and cigarette stubs, intentional fires lit to clear paths for illegal poaching, burning to facilitate Mahua flower collection, and farm fires that spiral out of control. He also pointed to a persistent misconception among local farmers who believe burning dry leaves and biomass makes paddy fields more fertile.

'In reality, burning the land damages soil texture and destroys the natural compost-like environment,' Naik said, stressing that the forest department is launching a special campaign to counter these myths.

Government's Action Plan

A joint awareness drive will be rolled out involving the Forest Department, Agriculture Department, Gram Panchayats, Revenue Administration, and local representatives including Gram Sevaks, Sarpanchs, Panchayat Samiti members, Zilla Parishad members, as well as MPs and MLAs. The government also plans to deploy specialised machinery such as blowers to extinguish fires rapidly.

Notably, the state is exploring legal provisions to hold private landowners accountable if a fire originates within their private forest boundaries — a significant departure from existing enforcement norms. A special joint meeting of Forest and Agriculture department officials is to be convened soon to finalise mitigation strategies. MLAs Nana Patole and Deepak Kesarkar raised sub-questions during the debate.

Jalgaon Banana Insurance Fraud: What the Probe Found

In a separate development during Question Hour, Agriculture Minister Bharane disclosed that 44,041.82 hectares of land in Jalgaon district had been registered for crop insurance despite having no actual banana cultivation. The discrepancy was first detected through remote sensing technology deployed by the Maharashtra Remote Sensing Application Centre (MRSAC).

A subsequent technical verification conducted between 1 November and 15 December 2025 identified 27,416 applicants who had sought insurance for 28,475.01 hectares without growing any bananas. This timely intervention reportedly saved approximately ₹164.58 crore in insurance premium payouts, according to the minister.

Criminal Cases and EOW Probe

Taluka Agriculture Officers have already registered criminal cases against operators of 48 Common Service Centres (CSCs) accused of submitting a large volume of fraudulent crop insurance proposals. The matter has been handed to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), which is currently conducting its investigation. Strict action will be taken against those found guilty upon completion of the probe, Bharane assured the House. The issue was raised by MLA Ajay Choudhari.

Both disclosures signal an increasingly assertive stance by the Maharashtra government on environmental enforcement and agricultural fraud — with legal and technological tools now being deployed simultaneously.