Bhubaneswar: The Centre has directed the Odisha government to submit an action taken report on a proposal to fell more than 2,000 full-grown trees inside the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela campus for the construction of a new building.
The directive, issued on March 20, comes in response to a complaint filed by Alaya Samantaray, an RTI and environmental activist. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) letter to the Additional Chief Secretary of Odisha’s Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department urged “immediate action in the matter in accordance with applicable rules and regulations” and asked for a detailed examination of the issue.
“The complainant has alleged that the proposed site forms part of a dense green cover serving as an ecological buffer zone a
nd habitat for local flora and fauna,” the ministry letter stated.
It further noted that an alternative site within the campus, where foundation work for the Civil Engineering Department has already been initiated over more than five acres with reportedly minimal tree cover, could be considered to avoid large-scale felling. “An Action Taken Report in the matter may also be furnished to this office at the earliest for further necessary action at this end,” it added.
Samantaray, in his complaint, described NIT Rourkela’s lush green campus in the industrial steel city of Rourkela as not only a buffer for the institute but also the “lungs” of the city and a “paradise for diverse wildlife, flora and fauna.” He pointed out that trees have been felled in the past for various construction activities on campus, but argued that the current proposal for over 2,000 mature trees is “uncalled for and could be avoided.”
The activist specifically requested the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Rourkela, to reconsider any permission already granted and direct NIT authorities to revisit the building plan, opting instead for the earmarked Civil Engineering site to ensure the “barest minimum” tree felling.