Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jan 5: A public meeting was convened in the office of the forest department here on Thursday January 4 relating to cutting down of trees standing in the site at Padil that has been reserved now for the construction of a new district deputy commissioner's office complex. After war of words arose between people in favour of the plan and those against it, chaos reigned supreme at the venue.

The meeting was called to hear grievances of people on the issue of cutting down 666 trees standing at the said plot. Even as opinions started emerging both for and against the plan, ten city corporators led by chief whip, Shadhidhar Hegde, and former mayor, Harinath, raised slogans expressing total support to shifting of DC's office and felling of trees. Although the forest officials tried to explain to them that this was a meeting convened to receive objections if any on the issue of cutting down of trees and that forest department has nothing to do with the plan for constructing building, the corporators did not pay any heed to this explanation. With the intervention of police later, some semblance of order set in at the meeting.

Environmentalists like Dinesh Holla, Ashok Bhat, Kateel Dinesh Pai, Giridhar Kamath, Rohini, Shashidhar Shetty, Suma Nayak, and several others presented petitions objecting to the plan of cutting down such a large number of trees. Some, like Shashiraj Ambat, Nityananda Shetty and Sudarshan from Puttur suggested for construction of the complex duly retaining the trees.

Deputy forest conservator, Karikkalan, Abbas of forest mobile squad, assistant forest conservator, Satish Baba Rai, and Alexander M G of Karnataka State Forest Industries Corporation, participated in the meeting.