The Simlipal Forest Reserve. Telegraph picture

Cuttack, Sept. 28: The state government’s scant regard for high court notices prompted by a PIL, seeking a curb on illegal tree felling and free-run of timber mafia in Simlipal Biosphere Reserve, has aggravated denudation in the area.

The PIL had sought the court’s direction to the government to either hand over protection of Simlipal to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) or raise a Forest Reserve Protection Force in Orissa.

With the government not buying any of the proposals offered in the PIL, the denudation of the vast stretches of forest and greenery in Simlipal has aggravated.

The timber mafia, with the help of local tribals, rules the roost in Simlipal. The illegal activities flourish mostly in Josipur, Bangriposi, Shyamakhunta and Kaptipada and the stolen timbers allegedly find their way to neighbouring Bengal en route to Baripada and Balasore.

The wilful non-compliance to a high court order related to it, it seems to have been detected when a PIL filed way back in 1998 came up in the list for hearing last week before the two-judge bench of Chief Justice B.S. Chauhan and Justice B.N. Mohapatra.

Pravat Ranjan Dash, a high court lawyer, had filed the petition in 1998 soon after then state environment and forest minister Prasanna Das admitted in the Assembly that an inter-state timber mafia was behind the rampant tree felling in the Simlipal reserve.

The minister had further raised concern over the administration’s inability to check the menace. Das had filed the PIL quoting the minister’s statement in the Assembly.

Acting on the PIL, the high court had issued notices to both the Centre and the state government asking their reply about the steps to be taken to protect the Simlipal Biosphere Reserve.

But the state government is yet to submit an affidavit.

Taking note of it Chief Justice Chauhan expressed displeasure and issued fresh notices to the government to file an affidavit within three weeks stating the steps taken and plans drawn up for protection and preservation of the reserve.

“The case will be taken up for hearing on submission of the affidavit by the state government as the Centre has already submitted a reply,” the court said.