M A I N   N E W S

50,000 trees to be axed
By Sarabjit Singh
Tribune News Service

PATRAN (Patiala), Feb 5 — More than 50,000 trees hit by a mysterious disease and endangered by water logging, will be axed before March 31 in Punjab.

The process has already begun in southern districts — Bathinda, Faridkot, Muktsar, Ferozepore. In some of these districts the felling job has been entrusted to contractors.

In remaining districts, the axe will be wielded by the Punjab Forest Corporation. In fact, as per rules the Corporation should have axed the trees in all districts, but it does not have the necessary wherewithal.

Orders have been issued by the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, to fell the trees before March 31. He has told the authorities concerned to account for the felled trees.

Owing to mysterious disease thousands of trees have dried up. Among these are kikar and shisham, a “State tree”.

The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Mr Gurmeet Singh, said for diagonising the disease a project had been handed over to the Forest Research Institute of India, Dehra Dun. Its report was expected soon, he added.

According to an unofficial estimate, about one lakh trees will be felled. In Patiala circle of the Forest Department more than 50,000 trees are expected to be cut. While in the Patiala-Sangrur-Faridkot belt mostly kikar trees have been hit hard by the disease. In the Nawanshahr belt shisham has been affected.

Trees on the sides of Patiala-Patran, Patiala-Sunam-Bathinda roads have started drying up. Officials of the Forest Department, working in the field, told TNS that trees started drying up three years ago. States like Haryana, UP, Bihar, MP have also been hit by the disease.

Mr Gurmeet Singh said immediately after the felling, new saplings would be planted in the areas. “We have put the labour on the job to keep the pits ready for new plantation”, he added. There is a target to plant about 2 crore saplings during the coming months. He said kikar would not be given preference in the areas where it had been hit by the disease.

For the new plantation, the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF), a Japan based organisation, has provided Rs 408 crore to the Punjab Government. Research projects are also part of the proposal cleared by the OECF. The OECF has stressed on the need of planting Indian species like neem, shisham, jamun and kikar having a life span of more than 40 years.

The Japanese body has asked the Punjab Forest Department authorities to divide the new plantation in sectors and give special attention to these sectors for first three years to ensure the minimum mortality of saplings. From time to time officials from Japan will themselves inspect the plantation process and monitor the project.