India News | Over 6000 Trees Felled for Tiger Safari in Corbett: FSI

Rishikesh, Oct 3 (PTI) More than 6000 trees were felled illegally to start a tiger safari in the Kalagarh forest division of Corbett Tiger Reserve, the Forest Survey of India (FSI) has said in its report.

The Uttarakhand forest department had taken the clearance of the Union Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change for the tiger safari project saying only 163 trees will be chopped off in the process.

Also Read | Gas Price Hike: CNG Prices Likely To Be Hiked by Rs 8-12 per Kg, Piped Gas Rate May Go Up by Rs 6 per Unit, Say Analysts.

But the FSI in its report said 6,093 trees were felled over 16.21 hectares of land in place of 163 for the tiger safri project at Pakhro in the Kalagarh forest division.

The report based on a survey conducted by the FSI in June this year was submitted to Uttarakhand's Head of Forest Force Vinod Kumar Singhal recently.

Also Read | Maharashtra Shocker: Man Found Dead in Jalgaon With Slit Throat, Injury Marks on Forehead; Case Registered.

When contacted Singhal said he disagrees with the technique of FSI's survey sample. He said he has sent the report with his comments to the Uttarakhand government and FSI.

Illegal felling of trees and constructions carried out in the buffer zone of Corbett has been probed by around half a dozen committees which have found the involvement of forest officials in the irregularities.

Many of them have been transferred and suspended following their indictment by the probe panels since the matter first hit the headlines.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)