Nagpur: A contractor with National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has felled over 100 century-old trees near Akola without permission. These trees were lost as felling continued even after the permission for it had lapsed.
Akola deputy conservator of forests (DyCF) Arjun Kumar said, “We have sought an explanation from Akola range forest officer (RFO). Till then no extension for tree felling will be granted. It is true the permission for tree felling had lapsed on February 4.”
The NHAI is upgrading 100km highway NH-161 from Akola to Washim-Hingoli border from existing two-lane to four-lane. To pave way for widening the road between Akola-Nandkhed (20.20km) falling under his jurisdiction, Akola RFO Rajsingh Ove on January 6, 2021, had granted permission to fell 1,766 trees. The time limit to cut these trees was 30 days, which ended on February 4.
Sheikh Mohammed Sheikh Makbul aka Munna, founder of Sarpamitra Nisarga Samvardhan Bahuuddeshiya Sanstha, Akola, had lodged a complaint with the chief minister and top authorities about more trees being felled than allowed between Medshi-Akola (47km).
Munna said, “In the controversial 20.200km stretch where trees were felled without permission, 5km falls in the municipal limit, where RFO is not the authority to grant felling permission under the Maharashtra Urban Tree Felling Act, 1975. There are 275 trees in the 5km urban limit.”
According to him, apart from the permission to fell 1,766 trees, 177 trees were marked red for ‘not to be felled’ “ostensibly to show the NHAI was keen on saving trees but many of these were also felled”.
RFO Ove said, “I have issued notice to NHAI for illegal tree felling on February 5 when permission had already lapsed.” The RFO was unaware about powers for granting tree felling permission in urban jurisdiction.
Green activist Shrikant Deshpande, who had filed a PIL in the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court against NHAI for poor plantations on highways, demanded an FIR.
“The forest department should seek fresh evaluation of trees in the advent of Supreme Court committee highlighting the value of trees during its lifetime,” said environmentalist Jaydeep Das.
Akola NHAI project director Rakesh Jawade said, “The contractor had permission to fell trees.”
However, even as tree felling permission lapsed on February 4, Jawade dashed a letter to Akola RFO the same day itself seeking an extension for permission to fell remaining trees. That permission has not been granted yet.
Das said the NHAI defied its own policy decision of May 10, 2018, on acquiring land on one side and saving trees on the other. “Had this policy been followed then at least 50% of the trees could have been saved. The authority has felled over 8,000 trees on NH-161 in three sections between Akola-Medshi (48km), Medshi-Washim (45km) and Washim-Pangare (42km),” said Das.