COIMBATORE: Even as they face stiff resistance from the government departments and agencies, the green activists in the city had something to cheer for after the state forest minister KT Patchaimal said in the legislative assembly that the government was considering whether to enact the Tree Protection Act to protect the green cover in the state. He also added that a tree authority is being proposed to prevent the indiscriminate felling.

The Tree Authority Committee has approved the hacking of more than 822 trees for various developmental projects. Municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte also directed the civic officials to start a survey and prune weak and dangerous trees from Tuesday. Kunte announced his decision while chairing the Tree Authority Committee meeting on Monday.

JODHPUR: The Rajasthan High Court on Tuesday ordered halting of all mining activities in the Beri Ganga forest land, which had badly affected the catchment area of the Bal Samand Lake and its feeder canal having a length of 10 km. The court also said that the district collector, police and officials of forests and mining departments would be responsible if any mining takes place in the area in future.

JAIPUR: At a time when the state has embarked on a special campaign against illegal mining in the state, there is little that is stopping the mafia from going ahead with their activities even in a sacrosanct place like Ranthambore tiger reserve. The government has undertaken a two-month special drive against illegal mining in the state from April 23.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna announced that 50 per cent seats of Van Panchayat Sarpanch will be reserved for women in addition to which, all Van Panchayat members will be insured by the State Government. The Chief Minister made these announcements while speaking at a State level workshop on strengthening and developing Van Panchayats organised by the Forest Department on Monday.

KOZHIKODE: The latest series of land agitations started by the tribal people in Wayanad district on May 7 has intensified with more vested forest lands being encroached on Monday. New encroachments of forest lands by erecting huts under the aegis of Adivasi Congress, the tribal arm of the Congress, have been reported from Thavinchal 44, Kaithakolli Vattikunnu near Mananthavady.

A total of 200 acres of land, which includes Revenue, Forest and Devaswom land, was encroached by around 170 Paniya families at Edapetti.

With the mercury on a steady upward drive, officials of the forest department are back to solving the poser thrown up at them every summer: How to provide water to the animals and birds in the state’s forest areas and, more importantly, protect them from poachers and hunters. With 22 wildlife sanctuaries and four national parks covering 12,579.205 sq km, or 4.57 per cent of the state’s area, the work is not exactly child’s play.