2,000 trees make way for CM show

The acacia trees had been planted by the erstwhile Bihar Forest Department in 1990 under the Social Forestry Scheme.

The function is scheduled to be held at the Morahbadi Maidan here and one of the special invitees would be Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani.

Earlier this month, Marandi had reportedly directed senior officials that a new rostrum be constructed at the Maidan and be linked to a pucca road, which necessitated clearance of forest areas around the kutcha road.

‘‘This must be ready with proper electrification before the due date,’’ Marandi reportedly told officials, who included state chief secretary G. Krishnan and Ranchi Deputy Commissioner H.S. Tiwari.

‘‘With only a month left, the JSEB and the Rural Engineering Department (RED) are already hard at work. The forests around the kutcha road leading to the Maidan were cleared to make way for the metalled roads. Work has started on the Rs 1.5 crore electrification project too,’’ said Tiwari.

The Rural Engineering Department claims that it had informed the state Forest Department about its plan to fell the trees. However, Forest Dept sources said that the RED felled the trees without its consent.

Forest conservator A.K. Prabhakar, who visited the site this morning, said, ‘‘As per the Indian Forest Act, 1927, the RED does not need the Forest Department’s permission to fell the trees. The same holds for the Social Forestry Scheme too since the trees grew on government land.’’

Moreover, ‘‘without removing these trees, the road could not have been built,’’ an RED official said.