CM orders to stop felling trees in Kodagu

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has ordered to stop the felling of trees in K Nidugani Gram Panchayat jurisdiction in Kodagu district following an uproar by public and environmentalists over the axing of trees.

In a tweet, the chief minister said, “Following reports in media, the state government has taken the felling of 800 trees in Kodagu seriously and the CCF has been ordered to stop felling trees with immediate effect and to submit a report on the incident”.

Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy has ordered a probe into the incident and has also has sought a report from the chief conservator of forests (CCF).

She said that Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Manjunath has informed her that the specified land has been converted. However, the officials have been asked to verify the land records to check whether the conversion of the land has been carried out, she said.

The deputy commissioner said the felling of trees has been stopped. Appropriate decision will be taken during the forest officials’ meeting on June 14. CCF Santhosh Kumar and DCF Manjunath, who ordered the felling of the trees, will attend the meeting.

The officials have been asked to furnish the report before the meeting. The district administration is committed to environment protection, she said. It is said that an entrepreneur belonging to another state had felled the trees in the name of Karnataka Housing Board.