Bhubaneswar, June 17: Falling timber stocks are giving sleepless nights to the administration of the Jagannath temple in Puri.

For the past few years, they have been struggling to procure the special timber for carving out the giant vehicles that carry Lord Jagannath and his two siblings, Lord Balbhadra and Goddess Subhadra.

In 2000, the state government launched a project called the Jagannath Bana Prakalpa (Jagannath forest project) to supply timber for making chariots, but reports suggest the venture is not making satisfactory progress. Besides, even if the project moves at the right pace, it would be a long time before the trees are big enough to be used for the purpose.

Sources said the temple needed around 1,135 logs of about 400 cubic metres to build the three chariots that involve felling of nearly 1,000 trees of a variety of species, such as phasi, dharua, kadamba, devdaru and asan.

Forests in Nayagarh and Khurda are the main sources of timber for the chariots, but officials in these districts are finding it increasingly hard to get the timber of the right size and quality.

“The stock of species such as phasi has been depleting. We have to delve deeper into the forests and spend months to identify the right kind of trees,” said a forest official.

The toughest wood, coming from the phasi trees, is used to make the wheels of the chariot.

Sources said the Jagannath Bana Prakalpa aimed to create a dedicated forest consisting of the 13 sacred species, including phasi, asan and dharua.

Nearly 4.5 million trees have been planted on 2,800 hectares in six districts, including Nayagarh and Phulbani, for the purpose. But, the progress has not been great. When it was launched, there were reports of saplings being stolen, and now, allegations of immature trees being felled have surfaced in certain areas.

Local communities in some of the project areas are said to be unhappy because the promised lift irrigation facilities for tending and protecting the upcoming plantations have not been provided to them.

This can hinder the growth of trees most of which take around 30 years to mature.

In the case of phasi, the maturity period is between 60 and 70 years.

The project, it is alleged, has been marred by rampant corruption in many areas resulting in the low survival rate of the plants.

While this means the divine trio in Puri have to wait longer to benefit from this venture of the government, the situation has also triggered a demand for privately sponsored projects of a similar kind.