A special forest team has been formed to inquire into reports of tree felling inside the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) in Top Slip area near Pollachi.
K. Mohan Raj of Tamil Nadu Green Movement said that unauthorised felling of trees had been reported from Ulandy Range of the ATR recently when the captive elephants of the Forest Department were taken to Mettuppalayam for the 48-day long elephant rejuvenation camp.
He said that the forest department personnel in uniform were found involved in felling and loading the trees onto a Forest Department vehicle.
According to NGOs, a number of trees were felled in Karian Shola area, while forest officials said that the said site was closer to Erumaiparai.
Mr. Mohan Raj said that the site where the trees were removed was notified as a national park in 1989 and was part of the core area in ATR. When contacted, Field Director of ATR, Rajiv K. Srivastava, said that a detailed inquiry has been ordered into the said incident and if charges of tree felling were found to be true people concerned would be dealt with severely.
