Chandrapur: Tribals residing in Kanjirimala village under Dangasorada panchayat of Chandrapur block in Rayagada district have been chopping down hundreds of rare species of trees for the last several months as they lack proper awareness on conservation, a source said.
According to the source, Kanjirimala villagers regularly fell trees rather than taking up plantation drives, thereby disturbing the ecology. They sell the trees at throwaway prices.
As a result, a large forest cover which evolved alongside a road laid under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) stretching from Kanjirimala village up to Pajigaraga in the block stands denuded.
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When contacted for views, an elderly man from Kanjirimala village said he had cut down some trees which existed on his farmland located near the forest area. The man needed money to treat his eyes.
The tribals have been carrying out shift cultivation in the region for which they have been felling trees, another villager said.
Reacting over the issue, Dangasorada forest section official Kapil Manahira said, “Forest cover alongside the Kanjirimala PMGSY road exists on farmlands of which the tribal villagers have records of right (Pattas). They have been felling the trees for money.”
Meanwhile, many local environmentalists and nature lovers have expressed their concern seeking immediate measures to curb deforestation in the area. Rayagada forest department and district administration should conduct awareness programmes at regular intervals to curb deforestation in Dangasorada panchayat, local social activist Bijaya Kumar Ulaka opined.
PNN