Felling of trees to pave way for MLA quarters: Matter goes to Orissa High Court 

A PIL has been filed in the Orissa High Court, seeking a direction to stop felling of trees on the stretch from Rabindra Mandap to Commissionerate Police headquarters in Bhubaneswar to pave way for multi-storey building for MLAs. 

The petition has been filed by social activist Jayanti Das, seeking a direction to save trees from being axed. 

Making 10 parties to the PIL including the State and Central governments, Das has prayed for adequate compensation for the trees already felled. 

Notably, several social organisations including the Mahanadi Banchao Andolan and Prerana, political leaders, intellectuals and city dwellers have been protesting the cutting of trees. The Mahanadi Banchao Andolan has also lodged a complaint with Kharvelnagar police station. 

According to sources, the forest department has given permission to cut down 870 trees against a deposit of Rs 68 lakh towards compensation.  

So far, over 300 trees of different age and species like peepal, banyan, mango, jack fruit, neem, ashoka and deodar have been axed and more are waiting for being felled to facilitate construction of the building. 

It is pertinent to mention here that, the multi-storied building of MLAs with around 300 quarters, garden, gym, rest house, parking lot and other modern-day amenities is expected to come up by the end of 2024, spending Rs 275 crore. 

Reportedly, in the first phase, an amount of Rs 50 crore has been paid to the chief engineer of Odisha Bridge and Construction Corporation (OBCC) and the remaining Rs 225 crore will be provided by the Finance Department.