Kendrapara: Hundreds of trees alongside the Cuttack-Chandbali state highway (SH) were felled to facilitate renovation and expansion work in Kendrapara about 15 years ago, but the irony is that the lost greenery is yet to be replenished.
With the mercury on the rise in the district, local commuters have resented the lackadaisical attitude of authorities concerned for not taking up any afforestation programme along the highway.
As per the Forest (Conservation) Act-1980, saplings of at least double the number of trees cut off in forest lands and 10 times the number in case of non-forest lands should immediately be planted, in order to restore a forest cover lost to development work.
The renovation and expansion work had started in 2006 after the road was accorded the status of state highway.
It was then decided that the work would be completed within three years and an agreement was signed accordingly with the contract firm concerned.
Residents of 95 nearby villages of Cuttack and Kendrapara districts were displaced and a number of local markets were demolished to accommodate the expansion.
A massive drive to acquire private lands was carried out and 64 religious and other establishments were also relocated.
“Many large trees of chakunda (Foetid Cassia), karanja (Pongamia Pinnata), neem and mango were axed from alongside the road in between Jagatpur in Cuttack district and Chandbali in Bhadrak via Kendrapara and Pattamundai, including a number of the fruitbearing coconut trees in Rajkanika block. Despite unusual delay owing to multiple reasons, the renovation and expansion work was completed around four years ago,” a local social activist Pratap Padhy said.
“Environment is always given priority during a road laying work. It is said that apart from other trees, more than 5,000 large fruitbearing trees alone were cut before the road work started. Several trees were chopped off in the name of development, thereby causing ecological imbalance in the region,” another activist Banambar Sahu stated.
Acacia trees are being planted elsewhere in the district, which does not suffice the need of afforestation, the local activist Sahu rued.
“A fund of Rs 87 lakh previously sanctioned to carry out afforestation alongside Cuttack-Chandbali state highway has been embezzled. It was decided that as many as 3,100 coconut trees would be planted at the roadside under the block. There exist only 31 coconut trees now,” Saroj Kumar Das, a resident of Rajkanika rued.
Agitations and roadblocks were previously staged in this regard by the residents of Rajkanika block. Erstwhile Kendrapara district Collector Reghu G had committed to order for an enquiry, but to no avail.
On being contacted, Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Durgacharan Mohanty said, “Priority has been given to plantation of trees on roadsides of other state highways in Kendrapara. However, the case of CuttackChandbali state highway in particular will be reviewed soon.”
PNN