Bhubaneswar: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the state government to submit an action-taken report (ATR) within four weeks regarding illegal cutting of trees at Laxminarayanpur (Lakhapada) village in Khurda district. The environment watchdog’s Eastern Zone bench gave the direction July 15 while hearing a plea filed by advocate Sankar Prasad Pani assisted by Ashutosh Padhy, on behalf of Bishnupriya Mohanty, a resident of Laxminarayanpur village adjacent to Chimma where a large number of trees were allegedly felled.
The petitioner stated that even though complaints in this regard were lodged with the Khurda District Magistrate, Khurda DFO, Begunia tehsildar and Tangi forest range officer May 22, 2024, no action was taken against the accused. It was alleged that about 100 fruit bearing trees and 30 full grown trees and other allied species have been illegally felled without permission from the DFO. It was also alleged that trees of varieties of species like kasi, nimb, kochila, sal, jackfruit, mango and acacia standing on government land bearing Khata No-318, Plot No-254 and Khata No-319, Plot Nos-1071, 343 and 347 were cut down, in flagrant violation of norms. The accused had also tampered with the evidence by uprooting the stumps of the felled trees. The forest range officer had also inspected the site of tree felling. The tribunal posted the next hearing to August 27, 2024.