Trees silenced: Railway cuts down hundreds without permission
Bilaspur | Correspondent: In a troubling development, officials from the South East Central Railway’s Bilaspur Division have allegedly cut down hundreds of healthy trees as part of the construction of a new pit line and repair depot for Vande Bharat trains, all without securing the necessary permissions from the forest department.
Complaints were raised after the trees were cut, prompting forest department officials to visit the site, where they found only tree stumps remaining.
When questioned, railway officials were unable to provide satisfactory answers or relevant documentation regarding the tree felling.
On May 14, 2024, the railway had sent a letter to the forest department requesting permission to cut down 242 trees and relocate 50 others.
However, the forest department has not granted this permission. Despite this, the railway proceeded with the tree removal, cutting down a total of 267 trees, exceeding their original request.
When the forest department demanded documentation related to the tree cutting, railway officials only produced the initial letter requesting permission, lacking any further authorization.
Notably, the officer responsible for overseeing the tree removal was unavailable for comment.
The letter sent to the District Forest Officer (DFO) detailed the specific trees to be cut, including 25 neem and mahaneem trees, two Palasa trees, and 37 acacia trees.
In total, permission was requested for the removal of 242 trees, including 155 trees of various species such as acacia, neem, Ganga tamarind, and subabul, each with a circumference of 30 cm.
The matter has drawn significant attention, prompting the Chief Justice to include it in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL).
During a hearing on Friday, Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice BD Guru questioned the state government and railway officials about the lack of permission for such environmental actions.
The Chief Justice emphasized the need for accountability, asking whether they are committed to environmental protection.
He directed railway officials and the state government to submit a detailed affidavit regarding the issue.