KALKA, Nov 12 — The Ambala Division of the Northern Railway has resorted to the “wanton destruction of green cover at some of its railway stations, yards and even Divisional Office in Ambala” on the pretext of “mobilising financial resources”.

Hundreds of full-grown trees, including an entire avenue of mango trees on Railway Road here, have been axed while hundreds of more green trees, including mango, silver oak, shisham and eucalyptus, will be felled in the coming few weeks in what is being described as “one of the major de-greening exercises undertaken anywhere by the Northern Railway since Independence”.

The Divisional Superintending Engineer (C), Mr O.P. Singh, however, maintains that the “felling of trees is a continuous process and only ‘mature’ trees are being felled. We have handed over these ‘mature’ trees to the Department of Forests, Haryana, to fell them. For some trees we may be getting Rs 100 each and for older ones, a little more.

“By ‘mature’ tree we mean any tree which is old. For example, the normal life of a eucalyptus tree is seven to 10 years. I do not think we are cutting any eucalyptus tree which is less than 15 years old,” says Mr O.P. Singh.

When asked about the “maturity” of a mango tree or a silver oak or a shisham, he said the “maturity” of a tree was decided jointly at a meeting of the Forest Department and Railway officials. “They conduct a joint survey before trees to be felled on ‘maturity’ are marked.”

Last year, says Mr O.P. Singh, the felling of trees fetched the Ambala Division authorities Rs 50 lakh. He was unable to specify the financial returns expected by the division from the current felling of trees.

In Kalka, a team of woodcutters, armed with axes and saws, descended last week and pitched a tent outside the residence of the Station Supervisor, Mr K.M. Chandani, who objected to their presence. The team then shifted its base to an open area across the road.

Six of 30 to 70-year-old mango trees lining Railway Road have already been felled, depriving this avenue of its splendour and green look. All trees were absolutely green, healthy and bore fruit even last season.

The felling has evoked protests from residents of the area, including Railway employees, who for obvious reasons do not want to be identified.

“We have been living here for the past 68 years. We have been playing, taking shelter and even taking fruit from these trees. We have never seen such wanton destruction of green cover,” said Mr Subash Chand, an old resident of the adjoining colony.

Mr Rajinder Kumar, a field assistant of the Department of Forests, Ambala Division, was busy measuring the girth of felled mango trees when the Tribune team visited the Railway Colony area here.

The Department of Forests has been asked to fell all 87 mango, silver oak, shisham and other trees in the Railway Colony area. Besides, it has been asked to axe all 177 eucalyptus trees here.

Though Railway officials maintain that they have been planting new trees vanamahotsava during every year, not many new plants or saplings can be seen anywhere in the colony. Only a few herbs and shrubs have been planted in recent years.

Some of the senior Railway employees maintain that they will not permit “fellers” to enter their residential premises until written orders for the felling of trees are shown to them. Most of the trees to be felled soon are growing on the premises of Railway officials.