Villagers oppose mining at the cost of trees

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Mahendragarh, February 2

The leasing out of a mining site around Krishanwati river in the Nangal Choudhary area may add to the woes of the mining authorities with residents of Nangal Kalia village opposing the likely felling of a large number of trees in the village due to gravel mining.

The villagers have filed a written complaint to the Forest Department and sought curbs on mining activities in khasra number 90 of the village. The complaint signed by around 50 villagers said a large number of green trees would face the axe if mining was undertaken there.

The district forest authorities have also written to the panchayat seeking prevention of the axing of green trees in Nangal Kalia village. Abhay Yadav, forest range officer at Nangal Choudhary, said the Forest Department had objected to the leasing out of the site. “Thousands of healthy trees are standing over hundreds of acres in Nangal Kalia village. Since it is panchayat land hence we have written to the BDPO to protect the felling of trees in the village as it will cause extensive damage to ecology,” said Yadav, adding that the villagers had filed a complaint with CM’s Window in this regard.