417 TREES CUT FOR
B’NGIR-P’GARH ROAD WIDENING
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A total of 417 trees of more than 30 years old on the
Balangir-Patnagarh road under the Balangir Forest Division were felled for
widening of the road on both sides.
This has caused concern among plant lovers here. It would take
another 20 years for new trees to grow up to a standard height, locals said.
The felled trees had been planted during 1960-70.
The Forest Department had given approval for cutting the trees.
“As per the rules, the concerned executing agency has to carry out plantation
10 times the number of tress cut due to widening,” said a forest official.
The executing agency would carry out plantation of trees or
through any NGO or agency like the OFDC, he added. He also said the agency
would look after maintenance of the trees for 10 years.
Earlier, the compensatory afforestation was carried out by the
department, but after a circular in 2014, the task is being done by some other
agencies.
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STATE EDITIONS
CHOOSE BETWEEN SHORT
TERM GAINS, GREEN CRISIS
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While the development of Odisha is dependent on infrastructure, it
is also important to conserve the environmental resources. Sadly, the present
socioeconomic situation in the country and the shortsightedness of people
involved in the affairs focused on immediate monetary benefits may lead to a
permanent and irreparable damage.
As has been witnessed in many parts around Odisha, more
importantly western Odisha, the increased temperatures during summer have been
due to rapid deforestation. While the Government and private sectors would try
to utilize opportunities of tree depletion to earn revenue or minimize the
operational costs, the forest department due to a lack of will power, man
power, and most importantly resources and imagination may not be in a state to
propose or implement effective measures and alternate programmes by which such
large scale loss of trees can be avoided or minimised.
Since past experience has shown that planting trees after
deforestation for compensation of loss in forest areas is often a failure or
partial success, almost always leading to an immediate loss of sustenance of
livelihood to people directly dependent on them or to the ecosystem, alternate
ways of saving the trees may be examined. It is important to note that native
trees provide a vital support to the local ecosystem and mitigate weather
extremities. Thus, if suitable areas can be identified in and around the place
of proposed tree felling and these trees wholly or partially transplanted, it
could prevent total loss of forest cover and also reduce the waiting time for
the replacement trees which may take years to grow. This would also pave way
for a new approach to saving forests. Trees need time to grow and money cannot
replace time.
World over there is a rising concern about deforestation and
increasing efforts to save forests. It would be a fallacy to not take note of
such awareness and take corrective measures to limit the damage to the
environment. An example in the large tracts of forests created in Israel
through import of full grown trees. Furthermore, another is the recent
initiative by the city of New York to plant ten million trees. New York City
already has considerable green cover yet, the importance of having more trees
is not lost on the public.
Under these type of global awareness, we believe it would be an
unforgivable act and gross injustice to the local population if alternative
ways to protect the trees are not employed and the protection of environment is
not given a chance.
The forest department needs to be imaginative and take initiatives
to save forests and green cover rather than just act as a transit system that
passes paperwork from Government to construction firms. Would we rather have to
pass on hectares of barren dead land to our future progeny as a proof of our
incompetence to take care of the natural wealth of Odisha?
(This is in response to a news item published in The Pioneer on
April 8 about the cutting down of trees for road construction)
Sir, I am a resident of Balangir. It pains me to see the sorry state of affairs in the name of so-called urbanisation! So much of green cover on the roadside is being removed, so many trees are being cut down. Can't anyone sense the impending danger? What can possibly be done to curb this?
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