Mangaluru: It's a virtual massacre and all for a government sponsored scheme to build houses. Several massive trees have been uprooted, many chopped and transported and the stumps of a number of trees burnt in Shakthinagar, Mangaluru.
Fuming environmentalists have warned they will paint the faces of anyone who tries to continue the work, black. Claiming the land in question is a deemed forest and the trees have been chopped and uprooted without permission, National Environment Care Federation (NECF) state secretary, Shashidhar Shetty, says it was identified by former MLA, J R Lobo for building houses under a government scheme as an "election gimmick."
"The land was transferred from the revenue department to the city corporation and now the trees have been chopped without permission. The stumps of several trees have been burnt to ensure there is no evidence of the chopping," the activist alleges.
Going by him, the city corporation had sought permission to cut about 340 trees and when the forest department refused to permit this, it revised its request to around 40 trees. "Although the forest department has not given permission, the trees have still been chopped," he regrets, adding that going by a court ruling land of over five acres with 50 trees per acre is deemed to be a forest and the MoEF's permission is required to cut trees on it. "If anybody continues to chop trees, we will definitely paint their faces black," he declares.
