By Alex Guite
LAMKA, April 25: Even as the world is clamouring over the global warming, the felling of trees at random inside the Churachandpur SP office has drawn much flak from several sections of the society.
It is a case of blatant disregard of the forest law. In 1996, the Supreme Court made a strong order which had forbidden felling of trees irrespective of ownership.
The Churachandpur SP office had recently witnessed the felling of several full grown trees (around six-seven) made way allegedly for a new infrastructure construction.
However, sources have informed that the required clearance was neither asked from the concerned Forest Department nor had the department given any clearance for the felling of the trees.
Top officials of the forest department have also admitted the ignorance of the people in the district is a concerned.
The DFO CCpur/ Southern Forest Division Mung Tombing on December 20, 2013 had issued a public notice no. 7/38/2013/DFS/Val- III published in most print media said that the felling of the trees be it from the road side, government offices/institution/schools are not to be done as the trees are in public property domain.
The notice had also strongly emphasis that no felling of trees are allowed except under unavoidable circumstances like laying of transmission lines, cable, road expansion etc for which prior permission from the forest dept. is required.
The forest dept notice /dikytat further said that even tress growing in patta land / private land need to be issued certificate of origin to get exempted from this preview, where it say that the violation of the aforementioned guidline shall attract provision of India Forest Act 1927 and the Manipur Forest Rules Act 1972.
Meanwhile, during a recent visit to the SP office, it was found that the old canteen had been closed down, replaced by a new one run by the police personnel.