Assam: Tree felling for widening roads protested

BOKO: While the State government has undertaken a programme to plant millions of trees in the State through the Amrit Briksha Movement, several conflicting activities of the government have angered nature lovers and various organizations. The government’s plan to cut down thousands of trees on both sides of NH-17 in the name of widening the road has exposed its conflicting policies and two-faced character. Recently, renowned actor Adil Hussain and Director Rima Das along with many organizations urged the government not to cut the trees for road widening by using alternative measures. Cutting of trees was started from the July but people from Goalpara and Kamrup district protested, so at that time tree cutting was stopped. But recently from November 2 again it started and now again people of the area are frustrated.

The National Highway 17 expansion work has also started in full swing in Boko, Kamrup district. Therefore valuable, rare trees are cut down on both sides of NH-17 under the Boko areas, Sakhati, Bondapara, Rajapara, Sukuniapara, Singra areas. Dimbeswar Das from Singra alleged that the NH could have been widened without cutting down the valuable trees along the highway. “We need development but we also don’t want nature to be destroyed,” he said. Dimbeswar Das further said, “The trees have been providing shade to the passers-by for so long. Similarly, the NH-10 was adorned.”

Meanwhile, the West Kamrup Divisional Forest Officer Dimpy Bora said, “15,000 trees under the West Kamrup Division will be cut down for the widening of NH-17 in Kamrup district but only 3,000 trees have been ordered to be cut down so far.”

DFO Dimpy Bora added, “There are no directives to cut down trees in the reserved forests. In addition, roads will be ensured for elephants at three places under the West Kamrup Forest Division.”

On the other hand, Tridip Rabha, a local youth from Singra, who together with several locals uprooted an Indian Gooseberry tree along NH-17 with the help of an excavator and planted it along the public playground. Tridip Rabha told reporters that not only Indian Gooseberry trees but also many other trees with medicinal properties could have been uprooted from the roadsides and replanted in nearby places,” he said.

There are 8,726 sal trees on both sides of the 28 km road from Dudhani to Dhupdhara under the Rangjuli Forest Office. Similarly, 8,821 trees will be cut down in the forest area under Krishnai Middle Regional Forest Officer’s Iron Office and 444 trees in the forest area under Goalpara Forest Office. Furthermore, trees will also be cut from NH-17 in Paikan to NH-217 to Meghalaya. The sal trees on both sides will also be cut down upto Kukurkata area. In total, about 18,000 trees will be cut down in the name of widening the NH in the Goalpara district.

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