Bhubaneswar: A total of 18.5 million trees were felled for the widening of roads in Odisha in the last decade. The loss though has been compensated with the planting of only 2.9 million trees, which is in gross violation of the compensatory afforestation guidelines.
Odisha Forest and Environment Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha’s response in the state Assembly revealed the matter on Tuesday. Arukha was replying to a query in the house on how many trees have been victims of road widening projects.
According to the guidelines, double the number of trees felled in non-forest areas should be planted, while 10 times of trees felled in forested areas are to be grown by user agencies through Odisha Forest Development Corporation.
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