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50 Trees Felled In 7 Months At Alipore Government Quarters In KolkataBy siddharth22, Section Environment
Around 50 trees have been felled at Belvedere Estate, located beside the National Library at Alipore, over the last seven months.
According to experts, some of the trees felled could be more than 100 years old. The historic Belvedere Estate was gifted to Warren Hastings by Mir Jaffer in the late 1760s. Today, the complex houses residential quarters of central government officers. The TOI team was witness to the devastation on Friday when it paid a visit to the complex. Of the nearly 500 trees in five neat rows, over 50 have been felled and branches of another 50-odd trees chopped off. The felled trees and most of the branches have been disposed of. A few branches litter the grounds behind block B. Residents blamed a section of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) officers. There are allegations that CPWD officers have pocketed a part of the sale proceeds of the valuable wood. The rest has been utilised for holding Durga Puja and other social occasions by the Residents' Welfare Association (RWA). "Till last year, we did not have to use even curtains on the windows as we were protected from the sun rays. This year, we have to keep our windows shut as the natural cover has vanished," a resident complained.
RWA secretary D P Pradhan denied the allegations. "It is true that a few trees have been felled due to an error. We have held meetings with the horticulture division of CPWD and they have promised not to repeat the mistake," he said.
Mistake or not, chopping a tree is considered a crime under the Tree Preservation and Protection Act, 2006, says Biswajit Mukherjee, senior law officer of the state environment department. The law states that permission has to be sought before cutting a tree. The person, who fells a tree, has to plant five trees of the same variety and take care of them for the next three years. RWA president V K Saxena denied the association's role. "CPWD employees are responsible for the upkeep of the trees. They can give you the details," he said.While CPWD employees refused to comment, director-general H S Dogra said: "If they have cut a tree, they must have taken adequate steps." Ravi Menon, president, Friends of Trees, was shocked when told about the incident. "What kind of an example are we setting for the next generation? This is a very serious matter and everybody should take it up," he said. Source:The Times Of India,21-04-08
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