Nuapada: Even as all preparations are in the last leg to accord part of Sunabeda wildlife sanctuary in this district as a tiger project, a construction company from outside the state is laying a road under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) without the approval of the concerned department, a report said.
The project worth crores of rupees is being implemented in Kankermanji forest which is considered to be the core area of the tiger project. While hundreds of valuable trees are felled in broad daylight in the name of road construction, the studied silence of the forest department is baffling, say locals.
It is suspected that the district administration has hurriedly roped in National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) to build the illegal road for reasons best known to them after the local contractors were reluctant to take up the tender as the region is known to be a part of the red corridor.
According to reports, the environment ministry declared 600 sq km area of Sunabeda sanctuary as a tiger project which includes 30 villages and 22 small human habitations. While it is illegal to cut down even a single tree without the consent of the forest department, construction of a road under PMGSY from Pethiapali to Kankermanji is underway in violation of the norms. The cost of the project, awarded to NBCC, is estimated to be over Rs4 crore, according to sources. Hundreds of old and valuable trees are being chopped off for the road project.
Tenders were earlier floated for construction of the road on the outskirts of the forest but no local contractor participated in it due to threats from Maoists. There are several instances when the ultras burnt the construction equipment of the contractors. In this context, the construction work taken up by NBCC without any opposition from the reds, raises questions about the whole affair, said locals.
According to rules, the rural development department should float the tender after obtaining due permission from the collector as well as the divisional forest officer (DFO). But it is alleged that the executive engineer of the department awarded the work without following the above norms.
When contacted, executive engineer Laxman Kumar Soren admitted that the order was given to NBCC without prior permission and that government approval is being sought.
DFO Biswanath Nilannavar also acknowledged that the construction work is going on without authorisation and the agency has been asked not to go ahead with the road project. If needed, a case would be filed against the construction company, he added. PNN
