Ban on tree-felling in 5 Marathwada districts

The Maharashtra government on Saturday banned felling of trees in five of the eight districts of Marathwada with immediate effect.

The Maharashtra government on Saturday banned felling of trees in five of the eight districts of Marathwada with immediate effect. These districts,Jalna,Parbhani,Latur,Beed and Osmanabad,fall under the Aurangabad forest range.

The government is also hopeful of meeting the target of planting 10 crore trees across the state following a good rainfall,Forest Minister Patangrao Kadam said in Aurangabad on Saturday.

The steps are in tune with the National Environment Policy (NEP) target of 33 per cent forest cover. At present,the state has a 22 per cent land under forests. The 2857.8 square km in Marathwada account for 4.41 per cent.

The banning of tree-felling will maintain existing tree-density and increase forest cover,Kadam said after reviewing forest programmes in Aurangabad and Nashik ranges.

He said in Marathwada,Chief Minister Ashok Chavans Nanded district has the highest cover of 12 per cent,followed by Aurangabad (7.61 percent),Hingoli (6.21),Jalna (1.31),Parbhani (1.59) Beed (2.7) and Osmanabad (0.67). In former Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukhs home district Latur,it is a poor 0.56 per cent.

A statewide movement to increase forest cover is needed,Kadam said.

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