CUTTACK: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday issued notices to the State government following allegations of felling trees in forest land spread over 377.83 acre in Jajpur district. The green panel also formed a committee to probe into the matter.
Tapan Kumar Baral, a resident of the area, had alleged that the trees were felled in Botalanda and Karagola areas under Sukinda tehsil for agriculture purpose. Advocate Sankar Prasad Pani argued the case on the petitioner’s behalf.
The tribunal constituted the committee comprising a scientist/officer from the Integrated Regional Office of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Bhubaneswar, Jajpur collector and DFO, Cuttack. The NGT’s east zone bench in Kolkata said, “The committee shall inspect the site in question and submit its report stating whether conversion of the said area/land is in violation of Forest Conservation Act, 1980, how many trees have been felled till date and fix the responsibility for felling of trees in case the same is felled unauthorisedly”.
The bench of Justice B Amit Sthalekar (Judicial Member) and Justice Saibal Dasgupta (Expert Member) also directed the committee to make valuation of the trees felled for the purpose of computation of environmental compensation, loss of revenue to the State exchequer, if felled without permission and also state the remedial measure for restoration of the land to its original form.
“The committee shall submit its report within one month”, the bench said, while directing for listing of the case on September 27 and issuing notices to the Principal Secretary of Agriculture department and Director of Horticulture.