Notice issued for axing trees

Notice issued for axing trees
Bangalore, DHNS:

The State Forest Department has sent a show-cause notice to owners of vehicles and equipment used to bring down neem trees in Kadugodi Plantation Reserve Forest in August. K R Puram Range officials had on August 11 seized 144 uprooted trees, two tipper lorries and an earth-mover and arrested seven persons.

The tree-felling in South Western Railway’s (Bangalore division) satellite goods terminal premises in Whitefield had also put the Railways under the scanner, as reported by Deccan Herald.

A M Annaiah, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Bangalore Urban Division on Monday said owners of vehicles and equipment were from Dharmapuri district in Tamil Nadu, and KGF.

After the arrest, South Western Railway authorities had said they had sought Forest Department’s permission to auction trees to ensure space for additional tracks but the request went unheeded.

“At the time of the incident, their application was only under consideration. Now, it has been rejected,” Annaiah said. He said the terminal expansion work has stopped.

SWR had also approached the court with a writ petition seeking a stay on proceedings in the case booked under forest offences, but the stay was not granted, Annaiah said.