MU faces Forest Department wrath for felling trees
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, November 15 2022:
The Forest Department would be serving show cause notice to the authority of Manipur University over the felling of 33 three-decade old Khok Pambi (Albizia trees) that were growing in front of Manipur University Central Library.
An official team comprising DFO (Central), range officers and others visited the university and took stock of the situation on Tuesday.
The trees were cut down leaving only about seven feet of its trunks and the act was strongly condemned by the students of the university as well as Manipur University Students' Union (MUSU).
People from different sections of the society also took to social media and expressed their anger over the act.
Consequent to media reports about the mass destruction of the trees and angry public reaction, a team of forest department officials led by DFO (Central) RK Amarjit visited the site and expressed disappointment over the way the trees were cut down.
Interacting with the media, Amarjit explained that though the area is out of jurisdiction of the department but cutting down trees haphazardly is not allowed.
As such, the department will serve a show cause notice to the university authority, issue instructions to refrain from cutting down more trees and planting new saplings in place of the felled trees.
A student of MU Chemistry department also expressed anger over the way the trees were cut down.
Those trees not only provided shade and reading space under scorching summer sun but also helped in keeping the air quality clean in the university campus.
They will not accept such acts in future and will launch agitation if similar activities continue in future, the student warned.
According to students of the university, they are not aware of the official reason behind the act of felling the decades old trees.
However, the said trees blocked light of the high mast lamp installed in front of the library from reaching the pathway and they think that it might be thie reason behind cutting down of those trees.
They also heard that electric wire for -the library passes through the trees resulting in loss of voltage and the authority cut down the trees to address the issue, the students said.
Meanwhile, the DFO said that the trees were cut down while leaving around seven feet of the trunks and the MU authority might have perceived that the trees will grow new leaves and branches while keeping the height of the trees to a certain level.
However, as the trees are decades old chances of sprouting of new leaves and growth of branches are low.
At the same time, the exposed parts of trunks might get infected by insects and the trunks may wither eventually, he opined.
On the other hand, The People's Chronicle published a report in January this year regarding the possibility of cutting down 13 banyan trees as part of the road expansion along the Canchipur to Lilong section.
MU students and Youth Forum for Protection of Human Rights (YFPHR) took up the matter and raised complaints to the government.
Consequently, forest department officials carried out a survey and submitted a report to the authority concerned, following which, the highway was realigned to preserve the banyan trees.
Meanwhile, condemning the felling of 33 trees inside the MU campus, people from different walks of life have brought up the need for enacting Tree Act to provide protection to trees in non-forested areas, which some states have already started.
At the same time, according to Indian Forest Act, 1927, nobody can cut down trees even in their own homestead and those violating the provision are liable to pay a fine of Rs 10,000 or a jail term of three months.
Even if they require cutting down the trees due to certain issues, they should take prior permission from the forest authority citing the reason.
The forest authority shall give the approval only after assessing the situation.
The Act also requires planting of new saplings in place of the cut trees.
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