By U Sudhakar Reddy
City-based environmental activists has filed a complaint against the timber mafia before the Supreme Court Empowered Committee (CEC) on Monday. They are seeking a ban on the indiscriminate felling of trees like Neem that are in the exempted list. In their petition, the activists asked the CEC to direct the state-level committee not to issue licences to saw mills. The petition was filed in the light of the apparent nexus of the timber mafia and the forest officials who are allowing the felling of trees on patta land without transit permits.
The activists lead by M. Vishnuvardhan Reddy, of the Society for Wilderness and Wildlife Protection, met the CEC member secretary, Mr M.K. Jiwrajka, and submitted a detailed report on the indiscriminate felling of trees around Hyderabad, particularly in Medak district.
In the petition he said, “In September 2011, the state- level committee recommended issuing of permission to 13 new saw mills and the renewal of licences of 185 saw mills. If the licences are renewed, it will lead to both, legal and illegal, cutting of trees. The trees are being used to generate steam in industrial boilers.” The petitioner argued that a circular issued by the principal chief conservator of Forests, had set guidelines in May 2006 for felling trees. As per this an application has to be made to the DFO and a transit permit also has to be obtained.
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