Illegal felling: In 3 years at least 11-lakh trees lost in 17 states of India

October 19, 2016

Bengaluru, Oct 19: As India discusses afresh its afforestation plans costing an estimated $6billion through the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, 2015, 'detected' illegal felling has claimed at least 11 lakh trees in three years across 15 states and two Union territories (UTs).

Illegal
Another 53% of India—there are 29 states and seven UTs in the country—has not reported any cases on record, but forest officials say it is impossible that there has been no illegal felling.

According to data accessed from the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF), a total of 10.8 lakh trees from the 15 states and two UTs have been reported through 1.76 lakh cases, at an average of six trees felled under each case.

However, four states in 2013-14 and three each in 2014-15 and 2015-16 have only reported the number of cases and not the trees lost. These amount to a total of 30,853 cases, and, even if the average of six trees per case is taken, another 1.85 lakh trees would have been lost. The total number of trees lost, therefore, would be nearly 13 lakh.

Forest officials said that the nature of cases range from chopping of trees like Sandalwood and Teak, which fetch smugglers a lot of money, to cutting down of jungle trees for housing-needs and razing of trees in urban area. "Whatever the nature of tree felling, the loss to the environment remains grave," Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Vigilance) Subhash Malkhede said.

Just two weeks ago, India ratified its commitment to combat climate change and at the root it is the planned afforestation drive, as the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions, or INDCs, point out.

From a 1.4-lakh-km-long tree-line along the national highways to increasing forest cover from 21.34% of the total land to 33%, India has a set of ambitious goals to meet by 2030, and losing trees in a hurry to semi-organised mafias to and unorganised, random felling will adversely affect this.

However, there is a huge shortage of staff to guard India's forests and tree cover, Karnataka's situation is an indication. Malkhede points out: "There is just one person to guard a forest cover of 8,000-10,000 acres. So, we cannot say that the cases reported are the only cases of illegal tree felling."

While he was quick to add that the department is doing everything from employing newer technologies to enhancing the intelligence network, he added: "...Men on the ground is still the most effective way of dealing with this menace."

Another official pointed out that these officers are not just in-charge of trees. "They need to check against illegal poaching, encroachment and forest fires among other duties," he said.

"While these are just trees lost to illegal activities in 47% of the other half can add to an equal number of trees lost, and add to this the losses due to natural calamities like the tsunami (which uprooted lakhs of trees) or floods and the number just jumps," the official said.

From equipping the forest department with enough people and technology to creating awareness about the need for trees, India has a long road ahead in improving its tree cover and forest cover.

Comments

Praveen
 - 
Thursday, 20 Oct 2016

May be our Karnataka is No. 1. That too, Mangaluru should stand 1st as MRPL devastated TREES completely.

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 14,2024

chowta.jpg

Mangaluru, Mar 14: “Hindutva is my commitment and development is my priority,” said Indian army veteran and entrepreneur Captain Brijesh Chowta after the BJP high command announced a ticket to him from Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency.

Known as a BJP stronghold, Nalin Kumar Kateel has served as the MP of this constituency for the past 15 years.

Soon after the announcement was made, 42-year-old Chowta, who is also the BJP state secretary from Dakshina Kannada constituency, sought the blessings of his parents and went to Shree Sharavu Mahaganapathi Temple and visited the war memorial to offer tributes.

A BSc graduate from St Aloysius College, he completed his executive business Management program from the Indian Institute of Management, Indore.

He was commissioned into the 7th battalion of the 8 Gorkha Rifles and served in counter-insurgency operations in Assam and Manipur and was part of Elite Ghatak team. He also served as the adjutant to the battalion. He has been associated with the BJP since 2013. He is the president of Mangaluru Kambala and organiser of Mangaluru Lit Fest.

“Humbled and grateful to our party seniors led by our commander-in-chief PM Narendra Modi for giving me this opportunity to be our party’s candidate and representative of his work and vision in Dakshina Kannada. I pledge to continue to work with even greater rigour for the welfare of our region and people driven by the mantra of ‘Nation First’. I humbly bow down to all our karyakartas & everyone who stood by me & toiled with me to make this happen. Our task has just begun, as we work towards making Dakshina Kannada the number one in the state,” Captain Chowta said on X.

Kateel welcomes change 

Meanwhile, sitting Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel has welcomed the party’s decision to field Capt Brijesh Chowta as the BJP candidate for Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency.

He said the change aligns with the party’s strategy of fostering new talent to broaden its base and activities. He hoped that he will win by a margin of more than 3 lakh votes.

Soon after the list was announced on Wednesday, the three-time MP told reporters that he has brought projects worth about Rs 1 lakh crore during the last 10 years, under the Modi government.

He thanked the party for giving him a big responsibility of leading the party in the state. “I have worked honestly,” he said.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 27,2024

hdkprajwal.jpg

Hassan: Former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda has announced that his son, former Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy will contest from state's Mandya parliamentary seat as NDA candidate.

Deve Gowda told reporters on Tuesday that the decision to field Kumaraswamy, who is also JD(S) state president, in Lok Sabha polls from the Mandya seat was taken amid mounting public demand. "People are demanding that Kumaraswamy should contest from Mandya. In the core committee meeting as well, all members suggested that he should contest from Mandya," Deve Gowda said.

The former Chief Minister's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy had lost to independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh from Mandya in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The JD(S) supremo further said that the name of senior leader Mallesh Babu has been finalised from the Kolar seat.

Deve Gowda's grandson and former Karnataka Minister H. D. Revanna's son sitting JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna will be contesting as the NDA candidate from the Hassan seat.

Earlier in the day, Kumaraswamy in a media briefing indicated that he would contest from Mandya amid mounting public pressure on him.

Congress has fielded Venkatarame Gowda popularly known as ‘Star Chandru’ from the Mandya seat dominated by Vokkaligas. Star Chandru is a close associate of Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 27,2024

lebenon.jpg

At least seven people have been killed when Israeli warplanes bombed an emergency center in southern Lebanon near the border with the 1948 Israeli-occupied territories with air-to-surface missiles, according to Lebanese security sources.

Two sources, speaking on condition of anonymity said early on Wednesday that the strike targeted the Islamic Group’s emergency and relief center in Lebanon’s southern village of Habbariyeh.

Jamaa Islamiya, a Lebanese group closely linked to the Gaza-based Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, said in a statement that “a number” of people had been killed, and called the strike a “heinous crime.”

An official from the group said “seven rescuers” were killed in the aerial assault.

Another Jamaa Islamiya official, also requesting anonymity, said a dozen medical staff were in the emergency center at the time of the strike, adding that bodies were being pulled from the rubble.

Lebanese lawmaker Hassan Mrad said “the Israeli aggression on Habbariyeh adds to the long list of Israeli crimes.”

Israel has been launching air strikes against Lebanon since the beginning of its onslaught against the Gaza Strip in early October.

An Israeli strike knocked down part of a building in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh on February 14, killing seven members of the same family, including a child, Lebanon’s official National News Agency said. A boy initially reported missing was found alive under the rubble.

In a separate Israeli attack, a woman and her two children were killed in the village of as-Sawana in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli regime launched its devastating hostilities in the Gaza Strip on October 7 after the territory’s Hamas-led Palestinian resistance groups carried out a surprise retaliatory attack, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, against the occupying entity.

Israel's raids have resulted in retaliatory strikes from Hezbollah in support of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

The movement has vowed to keep up its retaliatory operations as long as the Tel Aviv regime continues its onslaught on Gaza.

The Israeli campaign in Gaza has killed at least 32,414 people, most of them women and children. Another 74,787 individuals have also been wounded.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.