Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Jun 18: Under instructions from Chennai bench of National Green Tribunal, a team comprising officials in the union government's forest and environment department arrived in the city on Friday June 17 to inspect the site at Padil where the proposed deputy commissioner's (DC) office and district complex are planned to be built. The team visited the site and verified the site.
The team will submit its report and findings to National Green Tribunal during its sitting on July 4, when the complaint will come up before the tribunal for hearing.
The team led by officials in the union forests and environment department, Somashekhar, visited the office of the deputy commissioner and discussed the matter with the deputy commissioner. Additional deputy commissioner, Kumar, and divisional forest officer, Hanumanthappa, were present. The deputy commissioner informed the team that 5.89 acres of land identified for the district complex at Padil, which was under forest department earlier, has been already transferred to revenue department. He pointed out that the present building has become old, and that shifting the office to a new building has been felt necessary for the convenience of the people as all revenue department offices will be shifted to a single spot.
Deputy commissioner, A B Ibrahim, also informed the team that for the proposed complex costing over Rs 40 crore, only those trees, felling which is found absolutely necessary, will be cut down.
The team then went to Padil, conducted survey, and checked the trees marked for felling. The team will return to this spot on Saturday and continue with survey and work of identification of trees being sacrificed.
Environmentalists organizations had objected to the site chosen for the project, pointing out that a number of rare and valuable trees exist there, and also because the spot is home to variety of wildlife. Several organizations had also complained to National Green Tribunal, asking it to halt the work here. The tribunal had accordingly written to the central government to check actual facts and file a report thereof. In Pursuance with this instruction, the central government had deputed this team for reality check.