<p>Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of Subhas Datta Vs State of West Bengal & Others dated 10/04/2024.</p> <p>The present Original Application has been filed by the Applicant appearing
With the right infrastructure, the forces threatening to destroy the world's trees could be their salvation. (Editorial) March 13, 2008
Not just the famed one-horned rhino, but the dense forests sheltering it are also in danger in Asom, as poaching and deforestation continues unabated.
Scientists and policy-makers will meet in Bonn this June to discuss one of the most pressing concerns to come out of December's United Nations climate meeting
The forest department seized four trucks of logs worth three lakhs and sealed illegal saw mills at Rohmoria. A team, led by Magistrate, Bipul Das, and Ranger of Dibrugarh forest Division Kushal Deka, made raids at Bogoritolia under Rohmoria Police Station yesterday. It is to be noted that trees felled illegally at Dibru - Saikhowa are transported to Rohmoria where these saw mills run. The conscious citizens have welcomed the forest department's move.
The Central Zoo Authority (CZA), while approving the Rs 434-crore Byculla zoo makeover plan on Tuesday, stipulated that no tree be felled and no heritage structure be disturbed in the process. "We have studied the masterplan and have decided to approve it now. But in the interest of concerned citizens, we've maintained that not one tree be brought down during the modernisation of the zoo,' said B R Sharma, member secretary of the CZA. Incidentally, the BMC had recently mentioned that only diseased trees would be uprooted. While the CZA had earlier shown reservation to this condition, Sharma now stated that they would allow the BMC to make internal decision as long as their main conditions are adhered to. The long wait over, the BMC is now geared up to put the mega revamp plan
India lost more than Rs 100 crore due to illegal felling and smuggling of rare and costly trees like sandalwood and teak between 2004 and 2006. The ministry of environment and forests admits that felling and smuggling of rare and costly trees like sandalwood and teak has been reported from various parts of the country during these three years and the worth of the trees lost was approximately Rs 102 crore. In the same breath it adds that "no large-scale illegal felling and smuggling of rare and costly trees like sandalwood and teak has been reported from different parts of the country. However, incidents of illicit felling and smuggling do take place,' while providing details furnished by different state governments and the directorate of revenue Intelligence in this regard. Quoting reports, the ministry says during 2005-07, a total of 2,666 sandalwood trees were illegally felled in Kerala while Karnataka reported 881 cases of smuggling of sandalwood involving a quantity of 35,299 kg. Maharashtra reported a loss of 1,404 sandalwood trees in illegal felling while there were a total of 253 case of smuggling of sandalwood involving 20.739 tonnes in Tamil Nadu during this period. And between 2006-07, cases were registered with regard to import of three consignments of sandalwood. In these cases 177.660 tonnes of sandalwood valued at Rs 1776.60 lakh was seized. Regarding illegal felling of sal and teak tree during 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06, Andhra Pradesh suffered a loss of 8208.89 cubic meters amounting to Rs1633.98 lakh, Assam 5022 cubic meters (Rs 311.62 lakh), Chhattisgarh 58380 cubic meters (Rs 1287.81 lakh), Gujarat 13586 cubic meters (Rs 1360.74 lakh), Karanataka 6184 cubic meters (Rs 513.76 lakh), Himachal Pradesh 407 cubic meters (Rs 4.96 lakh), Maharashtra 268088 cubic meters (Rs 2251.12 lakh) and Haryana 10 trees (0.18 lakh). Regarding steps being taken for the protection and management of forests, the ministry says it is primarily the responsibility of state governments. The measures in this regard include legal provisions like the Indian Forest Act, 1927, the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and the Environment Protection Act, 1986. Funds are provided to states and union territories for strengthening infrastructure for protection of forests from illicit felling, fires and encroachments. Efforts are also made to involve local communities through formulation of joint forest management committees while meetings of the officials of the border states are held to strengthen inter-state protection mechanism. Patrolling of the area, creation of checkposts and barriers, mechanism of transit permit for movement of forest produce, formation of flying squads, mobile protection units and vigilance parties for regular inspection and survey and demarcation of forest areas are among other measures.
The verdant Polo jungles of Vijaynagar in north Gujarat's Sabarkantha district have a substantial population of tribals, but unlike many other tribal areas in the country that reel under poverty, ma
The remote town of Tail
Landslides in Nilgiris are mainly due to rainfall, but human intervention in the form of deforestation and plantation has turned this into a calamity.
At a time when illegal felling of trees by timber traders with alleged help from forest officials in the forests of Asom have become the order of the day, a team of All Assam Students' Union (AASU) members and journalists of Sonari town in Sivasagar district visited the Abhaypur Reserve Forest in the district and was able to unearth a shocking picture of the destruction of forests going on inside the reserve. The visit of the AASU members and local journalists to the reserve forest yesterday was undertaken following a citizens' meet on killing of rhinos and destruction of forest land in the State, which was held at Kaziranga recently under the aegis of AASU and Asom Unnati Sabha (AUS). The team witnessed mass felling of valuable trees after they crossed the Nailong River, situated just 2 km from the Namtola Beat of the Reserve. Vast tracts of forest land at sector numbers 26, 27, 28 and 29 of Abhaypur Reserve Forest have become plain fields. The team also witnessed wheel marks of trucks at the area, used for transportation of the logs. Interestingly, the delegation also heard a few rounds of bullet fire inside the forests. According to theories, the bullets are fired to alert the timber traders and their accomplices
