PIL In Orissa High Court Against Chopping Of Trees For MLA Apartment Complex In Bhubaneswar

Cuttack: A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in Orissa High Court here on Wednesday, seeking a halt to the tree cutting spree in Bhubaneswar along the stretch from Rabindra Mandap to Commissionerate Police headquarters for the proposed multi-storey apartment for the legislators.

The petitioner, social activist Jayanti Das, has sought the court’s direction to save trees from being axed. The state and central governments and eight others have been made parties in the PIL, which also prayed for adequate compensation for the trees already felled.

On Tuesday, several social organisations, including the Mahanadi Banchao Andolan and Prerana, former MPs, MLAs, retired bureaucrats, green activists and city residents, staged a demonstration at the construction site to protest against the felling of hundreds of trees.

The Mahanadi Banchao Andolan has also lodged a complaint with Kharvelnagar police station in this regard.

The Odisha Forest Development Corporation (OFDC) is cutting the trees as per the requisition of Odisha Bridge and Construction Corporation (OBCC), which is executing the Rs 275 crore project. The forest department has given permission to cut down 870 trees against a deposit of Rs 68 lakh towards compensation, sources said.