Widespread protests against felling of trees for facelift of Balurghat Stn
BALURGHAT: Widespread protests broke out with hundreds of trees being felled for the facelift of the Balurghat Railway Station under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. This action has sparked concern among various stakeholders, ranging from the district’s Railway development committee to environmentalists, prompting protests. Around 840 trees have allegedly been felled.
Pijush Kanti Deb, General Secretary of the Balurghat Eklakhi Rail Development Committee, remarked: “There are ample vacant spaces within the Railway station where facelift work could have been conducted without resorting to felling of trees. It’s imperative to replant trees in proportion to those removed, especially considering the escalating global temperatures.”
Expressing bewilderment, environmentalist Biswajit Basak questioned the necessity of felling such a large number of trees, emphasising the urgency of tree conservation amidst rising temperatures.
He advocated for doubling the number of trees replanted in the Balurghat Railway Station area and vowed to escalate the matter to Railway authorities.
Tuhin Subhra Mandal, another environmental activist of Balurghat, said: “We are not against the development of Balurghat Station but we are against the way the concerned Railway department has taken up an initiative to cut a huge number of trees in the premises of Balurghat Station. We have already written a letter to the DRM regarding the matter.”
The tree felling commenced at Balurghat Station premises on Wednesday, with several trees being felled on that day.
In response, the Railways issued a tender notification for the auctioning of 840 Akashmani trees, inviting bids from interested parties. The Ministry of Railways initiated tree cutting in accordance with this notification. Environmental activists and Railway development committees have expressed discontent over the extensive tree felling, with several organisations lodging complaints with the Ministry of Railways.
The widening of the station entrance road is cited as the reason behind the tree clearance. A Railway official not willing to be named stated: “Only essential trees have been felled, with plans to replant once station development works conclude.”
