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Row over felling of trees

BERHAMPUR: As per the Forest Department, felling of only 351 trees could keep road communication totally snapped for around two days from December 25 morning in Kandhmal district, the time when communal violence was in full swing in the district.

These trees were cut down by agitating tribals of Kui Samaj, who gave a call for 36-hour bandh from December 25 morning. Even after the end of this bandh call, the police and administration faced much hindrance to reach the communal violence-hit areas of the district due to road blockades caused by felling of trees. The State Home Department had claimed that around 4000 trees may have been cut down to block roads inside Kandhamal district. The Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) had been utilised to cut down the trees to clear the roads.

But speaking to The Hindu, Divisional Forest Officer N.C. Mohanty, who is posted in Kandhamal district, claimed that as per their enumeration only 351 trees were cut down during the recent violence. Out of them 213 were in Phulbani forest division, while the rest 138 were in Baliguda forest division. According to him even felling of this small amount of trees could disrupt road communication to such a large extent as most of the roads in the district and the roads connecting it with outside world pass through dense jungles.

Leaders of tribal organisations active in Kandhamal district said it was quite easy to block a road in forest area as cutting down a small branch of a tree hanging over a road could block a road for hours. They also added that tribals never cut down large number of trees or burn fire to block roads as it would harm the jungles, which was the base of their livelihood.

Mr. Mohanty said that at several places the tribals cut down the extension of trees over the road rather than the large trees to block the roads. He claimed that the data regarding the trees cut down during the agitation was factual. According to him the stumps of the trees cut down during the recent communal violence have been marked and numbered. The forest department salvaged the precious fallen trees like sal. The forest department plans to take up plantation measures in areas where large trees were cut down during the recent violence.

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