Kerala Forest Dept books driver for killing birds while tree felling, NHAI gets notice

The excavator driver who cut the tree that caused the death of migratory birds in Malappuram district in Kerala has been booked by the Forest Department. Forest Minister AK Saseendran said that a case will be taken against the contractor of the works involving widening of the stretch of the highway. Kerala Public Works Minister Muhammed Riyas has sought an explanation from National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) over the irresponsible act of killing chicks and destroying eggs by cutting a huge tree without ensuring the tree was free of birds and the young ones.

Riyas, the person who captured the incident on a video which went viral, said nobody reacted or tried to stop it when the tree was being cut. In the video, he clearly shows that many newly-hatched Indian cormorant chicks died when the tree fell.

“This was a cruel act. So the maximum charges under Wild Life Protection Act will be slapped against people behind it,” AK Saseendran told the media. The government faced huge criticism from environmentalists and people after a video emerged of a tree teeming with nesting birds being uprooted on National Highway 66 in Randathani in Kerala’s Malappuram district in the first week of August. The latest incident, which happened on September 1, was reported from VK Padi near Thirurangadi. The video of the incident showed birds flying away and numerous cormorant chicks falling down as an earthmover brings down a tamarind tree.

Thomas Lawrence, CEO of Save Wetlands International Movement, had written a letter to Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari and NHAI officials highlighting the felling of trees at Randathani in Malappuram as part of NH widening project, which resulted in death of several migratory birds. Thomas had requested that the works be resumed after a few days, so that young hatchlings of migratory birds could fly away.