Mass tree felling depreciates existence of varsity
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: November 17, 2022 -

MANIPUR University authority definitely owes an explanation to the Forest Department and the public as to why it perceived cutting down of multiple trees inside the campus as judicious.

At a time when concerted efforts are being made by concerned stakeholders to create mass awareness on adverse effects of deforestation to the environment and involvement of various organisations in tree plantation activities, it is indeed a legitimate decision that the Forest Department would be serving a show cause notice to the authority of Manipur University over the felling of 33 three-decade old Khok Pambi (Albizia trees).

The fact that the trees cut down were not only providing shady comfort to the students from the summer heat but also contributing immensely towards reducing dust pollution in the varsity, which is located near the busy national highway, is indeed a cause of serious concern for all.

Now that the issue of destruction caused to the trees has evoked sharp critical reactions from the Forest Department as well as the public, the varsity authority might launch tree plantation programmes to neutralise the tirades but one can safely conclude that as serious damage has already been done; the replenishment endeavour, if any, will take years to serve any real purpose.

Regretfully, the trees have been, literally, trimmed to their bare minimum and their regeneration is highly improbable, thereby leaving no option other than the MU authorities introspecting on its decision and galvanising material and manpower resources to take up sapling plantation drives on a war-footing even if this part of the year is considered unfavourable for survival of the fragile saplings.

That the decision of the varsity authorities would be detrimental to the worldwide efforts for slowing down the global warming phenomenon could be comprehended from the recently released India State of Forest Report 2021 (ISFR 2021) which says that the effects of climate change are far-reaching and India's northeast region comprising eight states would bear the brunt in the near future despite 65 per cent of the region's 2,62,179 sq km geographical area being under forest cover.

As per the ISFR-2021, the forest cover in the 140 hill districts of the country has shown a decrease of 0.32 per cent with all eight states of the northeast region also showing a decline and experts predicting that besides the gradual decline of the forest cover, urbanisation, increasing pollution in the urban areas of the northeast, reducing water bodies and various other factors along with the worldwide climate change would not spare the picturesque region.

As such, felling down of the trees inside the varsity campus could be construed as gross ignorance on the part of the MU authorities about the ground reality.

Now that an official team comprising DFO (Central), range officers and others had surveyed the situation and concluded that there is remote possibility of the standing tree trunks regenerating, it is but natural that the forest department should demand explanation from whoever ordered the mass shaving of the tree covers so as to ensure that such random acts do not recur in the future for MU is an institution which exist to produce intellectuals capable of reforming the society.