HC Sets 2-Month Deadline To Calculate Cost Of Trees Felled For MLA Colony Project In Odisha Capital

Cuttack: The Orissa High Court has set a two-month deadline for the state government for calculating the cost of the trees felled for the Rs 549.41 crore MLA colony project in Odisha capital.

On Thursday, the court adjourned the hearing till February 22 after deputy director of Estates Itishree Rout filed an affidavit stating that a 10-member expert committee has already been constituted for the purpose but another two months are needed to complete the calculation.

According to sources, 870 trees were cut at the construction site.

Hearing a plea filed by Cuttack-based social activist Jayanti Das, the division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice MS Raman had on September 27 asked the government to constitute an expert committee to calculate the cost of the trees cut and file a report.

In a counter affidavit, the state government had earlier stated that the City DFO, Bhubaneswar, had accorded the permission on the condition that the project proponent will plant 8,700 trees in the available place or deposit Rs 68.70 lakh for it as per the plantation norm 2021.