Kali tiger reserve: Forest dept accused of felling trees for new safari road

Forest Department officials are accused of employing earthmoving machines to uproot hundreds of trees in the core area of Kulgi range in Kali Tiger Reserve (KTR) of Uttara Kannada district for creating a new ‘safari road’.

According to Kali Brigade members Ravi Redkar and Girish Patil, the forest department officials have employed the heavy machines for the last two-three days. “The officials have already cleared trees, including 20-30-year-old trees, inside the core area of the Kali Tiger Reserve near Dandeli,” they said and added that the forest officials have violated all the possible rules in the books for laying of this safari road.

However, Maria Christu Raja D, Field Director, KTR, claimed that no tree was cut and the officials were only moving the fallen logs from the old-logging road so that forest officials could reach any location to address the forest fire.

However, photographic and video recordings from the activists clearly show that trees that were lying on either side of the road were brought down recently using force. “There was no strong wind or rain that lashed this area in the last two-three days for the trees to fall. And it is strange that only those trees that are next to this old-logging road came down, while rest of the trees are intact,” said Ravi.

“We were stopped from reaching the last place where the trees were being cut on Sunday. In the 1-km stretch, we could reach, we saw nearly 20 huge trees lying on either side of the road. Hundreds of trees that were two-five years old were also cut for the purpose,” they said.

The area, where the trees were felled, is adjacent to the jungle safari road in the Pansoli range. However, with the sighting of animals being very few in the Pansoli range, the forest officials have decided to utilise this ‘old logging road’, said the activists.

“That is not true. We have adequate safari roads. All forest roads are there to help staff to reach different areas swiftly,” said Maria and added that road maintenance is a regular annual activity in all tiger reserves across the country.

There are important roads, which due to lack of funds or other reasons not maintained for many years. This is one such road that had not been maintained for close to 10 years. Since there was a big fire incident in KTR three years ago, all the old roads that have not been maintained over many years are being maintained in phases, now. We have taken up the maintenance of this road. The overgrown and undergrowth had been cleared. No trees have been cut, he said.

Kulagi Range Forest Officer Abishek Naik said they had to deploy earthmoving machines as manually shifting of logs could not be done on a war footing. The road maintenance is being done after receiving instructions from higher-ups, he said.