Nayagarh: A consultancy agency has allegedly chopped off hundreds of trees from Hatimunda jungle for use in construction of a bridge across river Baghamari at Dhipamala under Malisahi panchayat in this district, a report said Sunday. This has sparked concern among the residents.
The private agency is chopping off sal trees and using their trunks to erect scaffolding for laying the roof of the bridge which is being constructed under the Centre-sponsored Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
The consultancy agency, Fayaz Infratech Pvt Ltd of Bhubaneswar, instead of contributing towards forest protection has cut down hundreds of trees from the jungle and using them in construction of the bridge, it is alleged.
However, what has surprised many is the lack of any stringent action by the rural development and forest departments. While the RD Department is silent, the forest department has not done much in protecting the forest except making a seizure of 100 trunks from the agency’s camp office.
This has come at time when the Centre and state government are laying stress on protection of forests for a better environment. Both the governments are insisting on plantation of saplings and earmarking funds for the purpose in their annual budgets.
Ironically, when there is so much stress on increasing greenery, the agency, without any prior sanction, has chopped off hundreds of sal trees from Hatimunda jungle and using them in scaffolding.
Sources said Rs 4.7 crore was sanctioned under PMGSY for construction of a 7km-long road and nine bridges to Dhipamala village from Malisahi via Balabhadrapur and Gudupangi.
The work order was issued in favour of Fayaz Infratech Pvt Ltd, which has allegedly violated all rules in the construction work. The agency, instead of using wooden planks, has used sal tree trunks in the scaffolding.
Nayagarh forest ranger Susant Kumar Swain said they had seized 100 trunks and would register a case against the agency.
PNN
