Vandals target police housing complex

KOLKATA: Tree hackers mustered the courage to fell trees in a police housing complex in Barasat on Friday.
The hackers were labourers engaged in clearing weeds at the Banomalipur police housing complex, but soon they began felling full-grown trees, like neem, babla and arjun . The event took a serious turn when some youths of the complex challenged them.
Taking advantage of the absence of police officers, who were away on duty, the hackers refused to listen to the college students. The latter, though, did not give in. They informed the district forest officer, Rana Dutta, and he immediately sent a team of forest officials. The officials seized the wood, though the hackers went absconding after a police complaint was lodged. Dutta said on Monday that the forest department would be more alert in future to prevent such incidents.
The students are a happy lot to have been able to save at least half the trees. "We could not afford to let the tree hackers go ahead with what they were doing. I feel satisfied that though a large number of trees were chopped, we could save an equal number," said Gautam Mondal (21), a student of environmental science and a resident of the complex. He said being a student of environmental science, he knew that felling full-grown trees inside the complex would pave the way for a natural disaster. Gautam's friend and fellow complex resident Pijush Kundu, a BSc (physics honours) student, said in future, they would be more alert.
Keya Mukherjee, a resident of the complex, who was a student of botany, lamented the loss of two sirish trees. "I congratulate the students who fought for the trees. I will not hesitate to join them in future to save trees," she said.