Tree felling on the Kolkata campus of Indian Statistical Institute’s (ISI) in Baranagar has been halted amid protests by a section of faculty and staff over cutting of mature trees.
The work was stopped after a January 1 petition sought an enquiry into the process and how it was approved.
The controversy centres on 65 trees that were marked after an inspection by the West Bengal Forest Department. The order to cut them down was passed on December 10, 2025.
According to ISI chief executive (Administration & Finance) Ravinder Kumar, only 14 of the identified trees were dead.
“The remaining trees were green but classified as dangerous due to unstable roots, their age and proximity to BT Road and neighbouring residential areas,” Kumar said.
Kumar said that the decision was taken after repeated complaints from neighbours of the campus and keeping in mind that the campus is in a cyclone-prone area.
“This entire inspection was done by the Forest Department of West Bengal. We are nowhere involved in this assessment and marking of the trees,” Kumar said, adding that ISI had formally engaged the Forest Department to carry out the work through an appointed vendor.
The first day of felling triggered strong resistance from within the campus, with faculty and staff arguing that several trees could have been stabilised or revived instead of being cut.
“We immediately took cognisance of their complaint. We ourselves went on the ground, including the present director, Ayanendranath Basu, and observed that this assessment was not done properly. Then we stopped immediately,” Kumar said. By then, he said, 12 to 14 trees had already been felled.
The petition addressed to Ayanendranath Basu, the current director, flags alleged procedural and financial irregularities and demands a fresh, transparent reassessment of all marked trees. It claims that ‘the Institute has paid Rs 4,88,799 and later Rs 2,75,312 to the West Bengal Forest Development Corporation in connection with this activity’.
Faculty members have also questioned the lack of transparency in the decision-making process. The petition, signed by over 180 staff, stated, “The procedures followed for such payments indicate serious financial and procedural irregularities. The unauthorised destruction of institutional green assets poses a direct threat to the ecological balance and environmental integrity of our campus. Such actions, if left unexamined, may set a dangerous precedent and severely undermine transparency and governance within the Institute.”
“Usually, in any of the committees that are formed, a member from the faculty is included. We do not know what committee decided on felling trees inside the campus,” said a faculty member who did not want to be named.
The controversy has now drawn the attention of the West Bengal Forest Development Corporation. Its chairman, Tapan Dasgupta, said he has begun seeking detailed information on why the trees were marked for felling and on what basis permission was granted. Dasgupta said he would formally seek an explanation from the corporation’s managing director, Vipin Kumar Sood, warning that strict action could follow if the response is found unsatisfactory.
The issue gained momentum after reports on the tree felling were published, prompting senior officials in the forest department to take note. State Forest Minister Birbaha Hansda expressed surprise over the incident, saying the matter was not previously brought to her notice. She said she would seek a detailed report from the forest department.
Former ISI director Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay, under whose tenure the order was allegedly issued, declined to comment. “I am not in a position to give any statement anymore,” she said.
The newly appointed director has ordered an immediate halt to tree cutting, with the matter now under investigation.
“The vendor has left the premises. And we also wrote an official letter to the Department of Forest. After this incident, they have not visited the campus. In our letter, we have written that after reassessment, we will take the service,” said Kumar.
