Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jul 24: While the state government is in a hurry to build the deputy commissioner's office complex at a site in Padil in the city owned by forest development corporation at a cost of Rs 41 crore, it has been coming across one hurdle or the other. The case being heard by the Green Bench at Chennai against the proposal has now been posted to November.

After the government gave its permission to go ahead with the complex construction in an area having a large number of trees, some environmentalists from here had approached Chennai bench of National Green Tribunal in April last. As there was inordinate delay in the part of forest department and district administration, the hearing had suffered.

The bench also had imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the concerned as there was again delay in filing report and seeking extension. The case was posted on July 7 this year, but the hearing could not be conducted because of the fact that the post of expert member of the bench has been lying vacant. Therefore, the bench adjourned the hearing to November 1. As such, stay on cutting down of trees at the site continues till that date.

Environmentalists have been arguing that over 477 trees standing in 2.15 hectares of land at Padil legally becomes deemed forest. Therefore, to cut down trees, permission from the union ministry of environment and frests is necessary. They say that the concerned had purposefully misled the Green Bench by showing the land as measuring 1.96 hectares.

While the administration says that traffic can be reduced by shifting DC's office to Padil, those against the project argue that traffic at Padil will worsen. They say that the office of the DC at the current spot can be expanded by making use of taluk office and sub-registrar's office, both of which have been shifted elsewhere. They have suggested to retain one of the buildings as heritage building and then build a complex with all facilities in remaining space of the current office of the deputy commissioner. This will also save about 500 trees from getting axed, they point out.

Environmentalist, Shashidhar Shetty, and advocate, Suma Ramesh, say that the forest area at Padil has generated 88,000 saplings for afforestation purpose every year and therefore it is an important green area which needs to be retained.