Page 35 - 15OCT2018E

ENVIRONMENT

got destroyed due to lack of care. Huge losses
As a result, the nature hits back As per the State Revenue Depart-
every year, adding to woes of the ment records, as many as 82 people
hilly state. lost their lives in 2017 due to land-
Various national highways and slides and cloud bursts. Not only this,
road projects, large number of Himachal has to bear a loss worth
small and big power projects, ce- 433.25 crores in terms of damage
ment and other projects related to of roads due to landslides. How-
development of tourism have cost ever, this year (until September 16,
trees heavily. Shimla, Kullu, Sirmaur, 2018), the total revenue losses due
Chamba, Mandi, Bilaspur, Solan and to excessive rains, landslides, flash
tribal districts of Lahul Spiti and floods and cloud burst was esti -
Kinnaur are worst affected areas. mated at 1217.29 crores. As many as
The Parwanoo-Shimla four-lane 264 persons lost their lives during
will cost more than 34,000 big and the monsoon period. It included 199
small green trees. During the mon-
soon, Himachal loses large num-
ber of green trees every year due
to landslides, most in these areas Tree cutting has
include places where either road- cost Himachal
widening works or power projects
are underway or were completed in heavy in the past
the past. in terms of number
Besides, the forest mafia has also
been active in the state for many of landslides and
Road to nowhere Himachal has lost decades. There have been many cloud bursts every
lakhs of trees in recent years in the cases of murder and beating up of
name of widening of roads forest guards and other forest offi- year that lead to
cials by the mafia people. Recently,
a total of 416 trees were cut illegally huge loss of
in Koti in Shimla district. Now the human lives and
Development at the in the State between July 1 and Sep- ordered for the recovery of 34 lakh deaths due to road accidents caused
Himachal Pradesh High Court have
damaged roads
from the culprits and suggested to
tember 16, 2018, which resulted into sell their property to recover the
huge losses to the property. As many loss.
cost of green trees as 264 people lost their lives during mafias have advanced cutting ma- by damaged roads, revealed Chief
Tehelka can confirm that these
the period that includes 199 deaths
Minister Jai Ram Thakur while pre-
due to road accidents caused by
chines, which not only cut trees
siding over a meeting in Shimla to
damaged roads. The burden of loss-
quickly but help them turn them in
review monsoon related losses and
es due to excessive rains, landslides, pieces overnight. Then, these are
September 17, 2018.
flash floods and cloud burst was smuggled. damages in the State from July 1 to
estimated 1217.29 crores this year. DC Rana, special secretary cum The Public Works Department
Himachal will lose about housands of trees are facing the axe in the hilly state of Almost all the national highways director at the Department of Envi- suffered maximum losses of 735
34,000 green trees to the Himachal Pradesh. In past three financial years, as many as and more than 950 state and other ronment Science and Technology of crore due to rains in form of dam-
under-construction four- 6,696 cases of illicit tree-felling came to light. More of it is in the small roads face huge losses in the Himachal Pradesh, said that many ages to roads, bridges, breast walls,
problems such as extreme weather
offing. And this time, it’s official. Himachal will lose about 34,000
retaining walls, etc while Irrigation
rains each year.
lane Parwanoo-Shimla T green trees to the four-lane Parwanoo-Shimla highway, which Himachal has lost lakhs of trees conditions like cloudburst, floods, and Public Health Department suf-
highway, The development is under construction. Already 12,900 trees have been sacrificed. The fell- in the recent years in the name of long dry spells, receding snow-lines fered losses of 328.78 crore. Several
major, medium and minor drink-
widening of roads beside power,
have emerged as major challenges
ing of trees has cost the hilly state heavily in the past in terms of number
will not only hurt of landslides and cloud bursts every year that lead to huge loss of human cement and other projects. About nowadays. “The State government ing water supply and irrigation
environment but also lives and damaged roads. A huge amount is then spent on compensation 69 per cent of the saplings which is spreading awareness about the schemes had been damaged due to
claim human lives, and repair works. were planted to cover the losses of environment among the people landslides and heavy rains. The ag-
tree felling (under afforestration
riculture and horticulture sectors
The intensity of the misfortune due to the tree felling could be gauged
through various mediums’’, he
writes RAKESH ROCKY from the fact that as many as 33 cloud bursts and 391 landslides took place scheme) for government projects added. also suffered a loss of 88.81 crore
TEHELKA / 15 OCTOBER 2018 34 WWW.TEHELKA.COM TEHELKA / 15 OCTOBER 2018 35 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
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