The Malnad College of Engineering (MCE) in Hassan has gotten embroiled in a controversy over the cutting down of trees grown by the Forest Department on land belonging to the State government. The matter came to light when environmentalist, K.N. Somashekhar, filed a Public Interest Litigation in the High Court of Karnataka, alleging the involvement of Forest Department officials.
Mr. Somashekhar, who had earlier moved the National Green Tribunal against the Yettinahole project, has named the State government, the Forest Department and the MCE as respondents. The court, on Thursday, issued notices to all respondents.
Mr. Somashekhar said that 4.05 acres of land in Chikkakondagula village (Survey No 160) is adjacent to the MCE campus. The land has been acquired for the construction of a government college building. “There were 1,756 trees there. The Department’s Social Forestry Division had planted saplings in 1983. The MCE sought permission to cut trees in 2005 and the department gave them permission without verifying the records in detail,” he alleged.
Though the college got the permission to cut the trees, it did not do so till 2013. It sought a renewal of the permission in 2013. Despite a Range Forest Officer recommending a rejection of the permission, felling of 880 trees was permitted in January 2014. According to a department official, “Though the permission was given to cut 880 acacia trees, the college has removed almost all the trees in the said area. A few sandalwood trees have also been removed,” he said.
Dr. K.S. Jayanth, Principal of MCE, said that the college cut the trees according to procedure.
