Centre Directs Odisha PCCF To Look Into Felling Of Trees For Road Project In Sambalpur

Bhubaneswar: Taking a strong exception to felling of trees for widening of a road in Odisha’s Sambalpur city, the Central government has directed the PCCF to take necessary action in this regard.

Shobhita Agarwal, Assistant Inspectors General of Forest (FPD) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and climate Change, in a letter to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Odisha, to take action on indiscriminate felling of trees from Budharaja to Ainthapali in Sambalpur for widening of road under Samaleswari project. The PCCF has also been directed to submit the action taken report to the ministry.

The Ministry’s direction follows a letter written by Supreme Court advocate Siddhartha Shankar Mishra stating that a massive drive for felling of trees was being carried out in the city by Sambalpur Municipal Corporation and PWD.

Citing the Supreme Court’s observation in three cases against felling of trees for public infrastructure, the advocate said, “The dependence on trees is crucial. The human race cannot exist without them. They are the providers of air, water, soil, wood, food, energy, shelter and medicines for survival.”

The apex court on December 4, 2020 had wondered why felling of trees was necessary to widen roads or keep them aligned in a straight line. “Why do roads have to be laid in a straight line by cutting trees? Keep the roads zigzag. It will reduce speed of vehicles and decrease road accidents and save human lives,” a bench headed by chief justice SA Bobde had said while hearing a plea of Uttar Pradesh government to fell 2,940 trees for Krishan Govardhan road project in Mathura.

Stating that nearly 31 lakh trees were cut down for construction of different public welfare projects in the country in 2020-21, Mishra asked, “Do we realise that we are building abreathless Sambalpur? Why cannot we build around tress and not over them?”