Kokrajhar, Sept. 27: Environmentalists and local residents today expressed their displeasure against the order of cutting a large amount of valuable sal trees (Shorea robusta) along the railway tracks between Fakiragram and Kokrajhar railway stations.
Total 4,794 sal trees in Chesapani forest area, under Kachugaon forest division, are to be cleared, of which about 200 trees have already been uprooted.
The Bodoland Territorial Council forest department gave the nod to the divisional railway manager (works) of Alipurduar Junction, Northeast Frontier Railway, to clear the trees after the railway officials wrote to them, seeking permission to cut trees which they said were endangering the safety of trains passing through the Chesapani forest area.
The letter by the railway officials said there were several trees along the railway track in the area, which might endanger the safety of trains if they fall, and thereby cause accidents. The trees were required to be cut to ensure safety of train operations, it read.
The railway officials also cited the example of an accident at Champamati bridge near Basugaon between Salakati and Basugaon stations on May 23 last year, in which the engine of Sifung train derailed and fell into the river, while its five coaches also derailed, injuring two loco pilots and 23 passengers.
The letter added that in view of the accident, the railways had launched a drive to clean all trees within 30 metres from the nearest track. Clearing the tracks was the responsibility of railways as empowered by Section 14 of chapter IV of Railway Act, 1989, it added.
Environmentalists and NGOs, however, refused to buy the theory and said it was "irony and fishy to assume that the trees will trigger rail accidents".
"As responsible citizens it is a great matter of concern for us. The authorities are going by their assumptions that these trees are endangering railway safety. But by doing so are we not endangering ourselves and our ecology?" asked Naba Kumar Basumatary, vice-president of Kokrajhar-based NGO, Discovery Club.
"We just can't go by taking examples of some accidents and harm our ecology. Rather, we can think of different sustainable solutions to prevent accidents. We feel the authorities can think of other viable measures for rail safety operations," he said.
