A mud road has been cut through a thickly wooded area, populated by Shola species of trees near Bengalmattam in Manjur in Udhagamandalam. The Revenue Department is probing whether there have been any illegalities or rules flouted by the person who claims to own the land, which is near a waterfall flowing into a ravine.
Manjur residents said that the mud road was laid using earth movers and diggers, removing Shola species of trees. Both the Forest and Revenue departments refused to comment on whether they had given permission for the trees to be removed and for a road to be laid.
“We are surveying the land. We suspect that it belongs to the Revenue Department, and have asked the alleged owner of the property to produce documents attesting to his ownership,” said an official from the Revenue Department told The Hindu . “We will check if the trees were axed with or without permission as well,” the official added.
However, the Forest Department categorically said that the land belonged to the Revenue Department. “After receiving complaints, we visited the area and found that it was not forest land, but belonged to the Revenue Department,” an official said.
Activists are also critical of the lackadaisical attitude of the government departments, which, they alleged, were not doing enough to protect the forests. V. Janardhanan, president of the Public Awareness Association, said that many species of Shola trees were disappearing as they were being cut by private land owners, all under the watch of the Forest and Revenue departments. “Shola trees should never be cut, as they are extremely important for the eco-system,” he said.
