The Pioneer 13.08.2010
100 trees cut down in AMPRI campus
Vivek Trivedi | Bhopal
The forest department not willing to initiate action against those persons involved in illegal cutting of trees in urban areas and the erring individuals often released without any punishment.
The removal of 100 trees at the Advanced Materials and Processes Research Institute (AMPRI) campus in May became cause of disagreement in the forest department.
At AMPRI campus, nearly 100 trees were slashed in the State capital without requisite permissions in May. However, the forest department could not initiate action as the campus falls under the jurisdiction of an urban body.
Surprisingly, forest department officials recently participated in a plantation drive held at the AMPRI campus even as officials at the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) confirmed that the campus was searched in connection with the tree cutting and further action would be initiated on the counsel of the civic body’s legal cell.
However, the forest department initiates action against those involved in similar activities in several divisions of the State, the department has repeatedly proved to be a toothless tiger in urban areas, where civic bodies are entrusted with the responsibility to check illegal cutting of trees, under provisions of the Tree Protection Act.
The 2005 Act empowers urban bodies to check illegal cutting in their area of jurisdiction, and forest department does not want to say anything in this regard.
Responding to queries over the visible ambiguity, State Forest Minister Sartaj Singh admitted that civic bodies were responsible for conserving trees in urban areas but stressed that it was unfair to say that forest officials had nothing to do in urban areas.
The Minister informed that forest department regulates the functioning of the furniture trade and sawmills in urban areas and often initiates action against any anomalies.
The Minister however dismissed queries whether the forest department knows
anything about Tree Protection Act 2005 or not.
“The Act basically aims to empower urban bodies to take stringent action against illegal cutting of tree in urban areas as the forest department only has a marginal workforce in these areas, “ said former State Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) AP Dwivedi, during whose tenure the draft of the act was prepared.
However, he accepted that there is no provision of monitoring in cases of illegal cutting of trees in urban areas.
Dwivedi also informed that as per the Act, the police or forest officials could act against illegally stocked or transported timber in urban areas but the case would be handed to the concerned urban body for subsequent action.
Similar powers were also given to the forest staff for regulating the transit of timber in revenue areas.
Meanwhile, clarifying the forest department stand on the illegal felling at the AMPRI campus or the subsequent plantation drive attended by forest officials, Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) Bhopal SS Rajput said the department was not aware of the any cutting activity at the AMPRI campus and forest officials participated to promote the green cover in the campus.
Rajput, however, accepted that the department has no such powers to act in such cases.
Head of Horticulture at the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) Bhagwati Kadwal confirmed that that AMPRI was raided in connection with the illegal felling of trees in May and said that a case has been confirmed to legal cell of the civic body.
