DIRANG, 3 Nov: A group of landowners has appealed to the local administration here in West Kameng district to immediately stop the indiscriminate felling of trees and wanton destruction of forests, grazing fields and wildlife habitats in Naga GG region (Ani Datsang, Saa Poktur) for the construction of the Naga GG to Bangajang road.
In a signed representation to the Dirang ADC, they stated that the private contractor and the Border Roads Organization (BRO) are carrying out the road construction work without obtaining permission, authority, consent or NOC from either the local administration, or forest officials, or the landowners.
They said that more than 5 kms of the road have so far been constructed without obtaining any permission from either the authority or the landowners, and that the construction activities are continuing.
Apart from this, they said, large quantities of illegally sawn timbers were seen lying near the roadside during a visit. They claimed that the timbers were sawn using chainsaws by the personnel of the private contractor constructing the road.
The landowners said that road construction activities, destruction of forests and illegal felling of trees are going on unabated in the area despite the direction from the local administration against such activities.
The landowners said they are fully dependent on these tracts of land and forests since time immemorial for their livelihood as these resources provide food and habitats for livestock like yaks and other high-altitude domesticated animals.
They said that “indiscriminate, unwarranted and unauthorized” acts of destruction are threatening the ecosystem.
The landowners added that the illegal destruction of forests and grazing land has gone unnoticed by the authorities concerned, and that “the BRO is allowing such illegal act.”
The landowners also said that the local administration had been made aware of the destruction of forests and grazing land at Mani Top, Sang-ye GG and Dungchikpu areas for constructing the road, and of large-scale illegal stone quarrying activities of the BRO. “But no action in this regard has been taken yet by the authority,” they said.
The landowners requested the ADC to stop all the illegal activities – including the construction of the road – that are taking place at the site “by initiating appropriate action against the culprits/officials involved in such activities by conducting a thorough inquiry.”