National Board of Wild life (NBWl), under the aegis of Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change ( Wildlife Division) has asked Principal Secretary of Forest, Environment & Climate Change Jharkhand Government to ensure that no compensatory afforestation in the wake of felling of more than 3.44 lakh trees for Mandal dam be done in the core area of Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR).
The NBWl has pointed out that compensatory afforestation in the core areas of PTR will have adverse impact on the grassland of PTR and if grassland is destroyed or disturbed the whole prey base for wild animals in PTR is bound to suffer a lot.
Field Director PTR M P Singh said, "As this embargo has come, we will have to find out another field for plants now."
There has to be compensatory afforestation, but for this a land in PTR is to be found out. Sources said NBWl has suggested the forest department to look for some waste land and arid land where this compensatory afforestation can be done.
Sources said felling of 3.44 lakh trees has multi dimensional issues. Mechanised approach is forbidden in tiger reserve. Felling is to be done manually.
Further what will be done with the felled treesIJ Sources said the felled trees will be logged. And thereafter its logs are to be kept.
logging can be done right in the PTR with movable saw machine but here again the use of machine is under question, said sources.
M P Singh said, "Felling will be done manually. As for its storage the Forest Development Corporation will be approached. Although we have eight range offices in PTR but these are not big enough to have 3.44 lakh of felled logs of woods."
The NBWl has suggested degrading forest land to be identified for compensatory afforestation and this degraded forest land should be in the corridors or in close vicinity of the PTR.
The NBWl also desired that state government should identify encumbrance free large patches of land for this compensatory plantation.
As this Mandal dam is the state project and comes under the supervision of National Water Development Agency, the NBWl has given a special dispensation to Jharkhand Government for compensatory afforestation to be done over twice the forest land diverted over the degraded forest land.