The tribal communities in Chikkamagaluru have taken serious exception to the State government’s recent order of exempting 26 species of trees, including mango, from the purview of the Karnataka Forest Rules, 1969. Stating that with this order, there was no need to seek permission for cutting mango trees, the tribal people claimed that since the time this order came into effect in January this year, hundreds of naturally grown mango trees had been felled.
K.N. Vittal, president of the Chikkamagaluru District Budakattu Krishikara Sangha, told The Hindu that the government had taken a wrong decision. “It is like permitting the thieves to loot.
A forest officer in Chikkamagaluru district, on condition of anonymity, told The Hindu that those involved in timber business were making optimum use of the time. If the government did not withdraw the order soon, they would cut all the mango trees, he said.
The district administration had taken note of the opposition to the Government Order. When journalists raised this issue on Wednesday, Deputy Commissioner B.S. Shekharappa said, he had written to the government to withdraw the order at the earliest so that a large number of trees could be saved. Many environmentalists had already put pressure on the State government to withdraw the order, keeping the survival of many rare species of mango.
