CHENNAI: Chennai might have overcome the effects of Vardah and is battling a drought now, but four months after the cyclone, the forest department is yet to remove trees uprooted in reserve forest areas by the strong winds.
After a prolonged delay, the department has signed an agreement with Tamil Nadu Paper and Boards Limited (TNPL) to clear the eucalyptus trees uprooted by Vardah.
According to forest department sources, nearly 22,000 tonnes of uprooted eucalyptus and trees of a couple of other species are lying in reserve forests of Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts. A contract was signed between the TNPL and forest department on March 17 to clear these trees.
Chennai district forest officer
Asokan said in Chennai district trees were uprooted at Tambaram,
Nanmangalam
, Vandalur and
Oonamancheri
reserved forests. Apart from this there are other reserved forest areas in both Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts which were affected.
The contract was signed with the company to clear the wood from the three districts. The company has asked for time to complete the task. "They will start from Nanmangalam and move to other two districts," said Asokan.
Vandalur zoo had faced a similar problem. But as it is a tourist attraction, authorities cleared the fallen trees on a war footing within a month. "In the case of reserved forests there is no need for immediate action," said another forest officer.
But another officer said the dry wood has caught fire in the Nanmangalam forests on three occasions. Officials from the Nanmangalam forest campus doused the flames. These could have been avoided if the wood was auctioned on time, the officer said. Asokan said the TNPL was involved in clearing such trees across the state and it was only last month they signed an agreement.
A botanist said leaving the wood for months together in the open will cause revenue loss to the government. If the wood is removed immediately, its quality will be intact. But if it is kept exposed, the tree will get infected and its quality will degrade. In such a situation, the buyer will quote a very low price for the wood, he said.
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