The Athagarh Forest Division, spread over one of the largest patches in the State, is depleting fast of its trees, thanks to lack of protection. Its wild animals are too in danger as poaching has been on the rise.
The wood mafias cut the big and valuable trees in broad day light and transport them to Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Dhenkanal areas in connivance with some unscrupulous forest officials of the division.
Similarly, poachers are active in almost all of the five forest ranges such as Athagarh, Khuntuni, Badamba, Narsinghpur(East) and Narsinghpur (west) and taking lives of hundreds of deer, wild boars, rabbits in regular interval for flesh and hides. Besides, tuskers are killed for valuable tusks.
Citing staff and vehicle crunch, the forest officials have been knowingly avoiding patrolling works.
This apart, several industries have been developed adjacent to these reserve forests creating massive air, water and sound pollution which irritate the wild animals and sometimes force them to stray into the human habitations.
After the Super Cyclone in 1999, the Government sanctioned crores of rupees to generate jungles. The Athagarh division has developed six nurseries for this purpose at Bauda, Kulailo, Jharan, Kirkicha, Jadabhuin and Ramachandrapur. lakhs of teak, acasia, mohaneem, chhatian, amla, bahada, krushnachuda, radhachuda, karanja,sunari, cashew,arjuna,neem etc. species are being developed in these nurseries every year in pen and paper. If at least half of these numbers could have survived here, it could make a dense forest, alleged a local environmentalist. He also alleged that the forest staff here are most often taking plea of staff and logistics crunch, leaving the fate of the forest to the mercy of the wood mafias.
In last three years, the division has given over `1.5 crore to farmers for their crop loss and ` 21 lakh for human casualties by elephants. As per report at least 15 elephants have died in last three years for different reasons.
locals demand for skilled and righteous officers, modern vehicles for patrolling, weapons and latest devices to protect the jungle.