Shrivardhan nature lovers seek halt to tree felling for private project at Bhimashankar

Shrivardhan's Prakritipremi Mitra Mandal has demanded an immediate halt to the alleged indiscriminate felling of trees for a private project at Bhimashankar. The organisation has submitted a memorandum to the forest range officer and the tehsildar of Shrivardhan. It said the administration concerned should take the matter seriously and act at the earliest to maintain ecological balance and protect natural wealth.

Prasad Suresh Vichare, a representative of the Mandal, handed the memorandum to the forest range officer. It expresses the fear that the continuing felling in the Bhimashankar area could damage the natural environment and have serious consequences later. A letter on the same issue has also been given to the Shrivardhan tehsildar, seeking the administration's intervention.

The Mandal said the environment faces several challenges at present because of changing weather, rising heat and erratic rainfall. If trees are felled on a large scale, biodiversity, wildlife habitats and the local environment could be affected. Trees are not merely an adornment of nature, it said; they play a vital role in maintaining ecological balance. Nature lovers therefore hope the agency concerned will carry out the necessary inquiry into the felling being done in the name of the private project and establish the facts.

The nature lovers also voiced concern that the government runs tree-planting drives at various levels to protect the environment, safeguard wildlife and sustain biodiversity, and spreads awareness about the importance of trees. Yet the issue of large-scale felling for a private project has now come up in the Bhimashankar area.

Protecting existing forest is as important as planting trees, the memorandum says. It demands that the administration examine the permission for felling trees for this project and compliance with the applicable environmental conditions and rules. Tree felling appears to have increased in recent days.

The Mitra Mandal has for several years worked to protect natural resources and the animals and birds of Shrivardhan town and taluka. Vichare said protecting nature is everyone's responsibility. He demanded that the indiscriminate felling at Bhimashankar be stopped immediately and the matter properly investigated.

Environmentalists feel the administration must act in time to save the forests of a naturally rich area such as Bhimashankar. All eyes are now on what action the forest department and the tehsil administration take on the memorandum, and what facts emerge about the felling.