Keonjhar: The Forest department has launched efforts for the revival of the historical Siddhamatha medicinal forest in this town, officials informed Sunday. The forest which is located in Ward No-1 of Keonjhargarh Municipality on the foothills of Chulia is facing extinction due to large-scale felling of medicinal trees, theft of precious timber, and lack of proper upkeep. The forest also has religious importance as it lies in close proximity to the Siddhamatha religious shrine which houses various temples The matter came to the fore after a team of officials accompanied by local councilor Sarat Sahu and residents recently visited the forest and took stock of the situation. The forest spread over a large area of land and had plenty of sandalwood trees.
However, much to their surprise, they found that a number of trees had been cut and the timber stolen. Everyone knows how expensive sandalwood is and taking advantage of the lack of maintenance, the miscreants have destroyed a larger number of such trees. The department launched the efforts for the restoration of the forest following a vociferous campaign by the local councillor and some senior citizens in the area.
Despite losing some of its precious possession, the forest still has many precious medicinal plants. Sahu pointed out that Siddhamatha can once again turn into a dense forest if a compound wall is erected on all four sides. When contacted, ranger Bijay Kumar Mohanta said that the area will be cleaned first before erecting fences on all four sides. Moreover, efforts will be made for soil conservation in the forest. He informed me that a gate will be constructed to prevent the entry of unwanted elements. Only nature lovers will be allowed inside the forest, Mohanta added.
