RTO track, Ambedkar school in Puttur taluk get govt nod: MLA Ashok Kumar Rai

Mangaluru: State govt has permitted the felling of 1,088 trees in Mundoor and Bajathur in Puttur taluk, clearing the way for an RTO driving track and a Dr BR Ambedkar Residential School complex, MLA Ashok Kumar Rai said in a release.Of these, 267 trees on four acres of govt land in Mundoor village, under the Mangaluru Social Forestry Division, will be removed for the RTO driving track and driver training centre.According to the MLA, the govt has directed authorities to act under Section 8(3) of the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act to clear the trees from the project sites.Permission has also been granted to clear 821 trees from 6.2 acres of land at Bidiradi in Bajathur village, where the school for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and socially and economically backward students is proposed under social welfare department.Ashok Rai said the projects were delayed due to the pending permission and that requests had been submitted to the forest minister."With the govt now issuing orders for tree felling, the hurdles for both projects have been cleared and the development works are expected to commence shortly," he said.