Baripada: A petition has been filed before the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) eastern bench in Kolkata alleging large-scale illegal tree felling in Baripada’s Jubilee Park and Jhinjiri pond area under a Rs 28-crore beautification project, raising serious environmental concerns and triggering public outcry.
The plea, filed by Kendrapara-based RTI activist Pratap Chandra Mohanty, names the Odisha government, Baripada Municipality, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Baripada, and contractor, National Federation of Farmers’ Procurement, Processing and Retailing Cooperatives of India Ltd (NACOF) as respondents. The case has been registered as Original Application No. 97 of 2026. According to the petition, hundreds of trees have been felled on forest-classified land under Khata No. 74 (Plot Nos. 213 and 230) and KKhata No. 71 (Plot No. 203) without mandatory approvals. The site, locally known as ‘Pakshi Vihar’, has long served as a habitat for thousands of birds. The petitioner has alleged that the municipality and the contractor jointly carried out tree felling and land clearing using chainsaws and heavy machinery, including excavators, without obtaining prior clearance from the Forest department or the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Such approvals are mandatory under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 2023. Baripada DFO Gobinda Chandra Biswal has reportedly stated that no permission was granted by the Forest Department for the felling of trees at the site. The issue had earlier sparked protests by local residents and environmentalists, and was highlighted in regional media (Dharitri and OrissaPOST) reports, intensifying pressure on authorities to act. The petition further contends that both forest and non-forest land parcels are involved, and that even work on non-forest land cannot proceed without due clearance, citing directives of the MoEFCC and orders of the Supreme Court. It also alleges violations of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. Seeking urgent intervention, the petitioner has urged the tribunal to immediately halt all tree felling and construction activities, restore the land to its original condition, and seek a status report on the constitution of the Biodiversity Management Committee and preparation of the People’s Biodiversity Register for Baripada Municipality. Additionally, the plea calls for directions to the Odisha State Biodiversity Board to notify the area as a Biodiversity Heritage Site under the Biological Diversity Act.
Filed April 7, the application also seeks interim relief. The case has been moved under Sections 14, 15 and 20 of the NGT Act, with advocates Shankar Prasad Pani and Ashutosh Padhi representing the petitioner. With the matter now before the tribunal, residents and environmental groups exuded hope that judicial scrutiny will bring accountability and ensure the protection of the ecologically sensitive site.
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