'Felling of trees rampant at CRPF camp in city'

Aranya Suraksha Samity moves Centre

BY Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, Jan 6: An environmental protection organization today alleged that massive tree felling is going on inside the CRPF camp located at Ninth Mile area of Guwahati.

Producing photographs as evidence, the Aranya Suraksha Samity said timber from the CRPF campus is being supplied to furniture makers. "You can say, there is a virtual timber factory inside the campus," said general secretary of the organization Dr Hari Charan Das.

He said recently trucks carrying logs from the campus were intercepted by Forest department officials, but they could not take the investigations further as the CRPF prevented the Forest officials from entering the campus.

The Samity has also submitted a memorandum to the Union Home Minister demanding action against the paramilitary force.

In this context, Das  quoted a recent report of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests which ranked Assam second among States losing their forest cover fast.

"Recently we have come across an incident of mass destruction of forests in Abhayapuri. The number of Chief Conservators of Forests (CCFs) have risen from three to 30 in the State, but that has not helped in checking the rampant felling of trees," Das rued, also alleging that poor work culture and corruption among Forest officials are the prime reasons for the State's shrinking forest cover.