Ahmedabad: In May 2021, Cyclone Tauktae’s rampage uprooted 33 lakh trees in the Gir National Park and Sanctuary, and five years later, the red tape has mildly fluttered, allowing the removal of 86,969 extirpated trees. The small portion of the 33 lakh trees chosen for clearance is mainly teak, which has been lying in the forest area. Yet, the forest department moved a proposal to clear them only in 2025. The National Board for Wildlife, the proposal’s recipient, approved it later that year.But final permission was needed from the Central Empowered Committee (CEC), which was constituted following a Supreme Court order to monitor the implementation of directions. The proposal, according to officials, is currently being scrutinised by the CEC.Forest department officials said that the 86,969 trees fell inside the Gir Protected Area spread across Junagadh and Gir-Somnath districts. The officials said the matter has already come up in two meetings of the CEC.In the last meeting in March this year, the committee sought additional details from the state govt. Those details have since been submitted, and officials expect directions in the next meeting.“At present, the fallen trees have been stacked range-wise inside the protected area in accordance with earlier directions,” said a senior forest department officer. However, officials say the prolonged delay in clearing the trees is creating fresh risks inside Gir, especially as the forest enters another peak summer.The dry timber is a potential fire hazard, and there are concerns that any blaze could threaten the habitat of Asiatic lions. In a National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) meeting, board member H S Singh had said, “The fallen trees may be a fire hazard. Therefore, the removal of the proposed number of trees may be recommended.” National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) board member H S Singh said, “However, the movement of these fallen trees shall be properly monitored and shall be only on designated routes.“Officials familiar with the matter said the department was fortunate that no major fire occurred since the trees fell in 2021. “Apart from the increasing risk of fire, the accumulation of trees is also viewed as a management concern in one of the country’s most sensitive wildlife landscapes,” a senior forest department officer said.The officer added, “The fallen trees pose a hindrance in the movement of lions chasing their prey.”The NBWL has laid several conditions governing the transport of uprooted trees. The NBWL has told the forest department to ensure that no standing trees are removed on the pretext of clearing fallen timber. The board wants the process of removal and transport of trees to be carried out under CCTV coverage.The NBWL has also acknowledged the state’s proposal that the revenue received by selling the collected teakwood be ploughed back into the Asiatic Lion Conservation Society.As for the delay, a senior officer said, “The issue of non-disposal of the trees was not that simple.”The officer indicated that the exercise is fraught with the risk of scam allegations.
