Sapling planter Shivraj’s MP has uprooted over 1 lakh trees in 2018

“Madhya Pradesh is blessed to have a good green cover. Our forests are home to diverse species that we take pride in. This International Day of Forests, let's promise to say no to deforestation for mankind's vested interest and leave behind a verdant earth for our posterity,” tweeted Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on March 21.

Looks like the Madhya Pradesh State Forest Development Corporation did not pay heed to Chouhan’s sage advice. While the state holds the Guinness World Record for planting six crore saplings in just 12 hours, the SFDC uprooted 1,18,646 trees, spread over 172 acres in the name of forest treatment this year.

MPSFDC deforested 172 acres of an exuberant forest in Sehore district 30 km away from state capital Bhopal, between January to March 2018, declaring the trees aged and useless. The forest, however, was only 50 to 60 years old.

In 2012, State Forest and Environment Ministry had passed MPSFDC’s Forest Treatment Working Plan to restructure the forests of the state. Ever since, MPSFDC is deforesting on average 172 acres of forest each year. MPSFDC has deforested approximately 5 to 6 lakh trees spread over 8,648 acres of land in the last five years, says corporation data.

Deforestation adversely affecting weather in Bhopal, Sehore and nearby districts

Cutting such a large number of trees is adversely affecting the environment of Bhopal, Sehore and nearby districts. The state capital, set beside a large lake, has been experience heat wave conditions, with temperatures hitting 44 to 45 degrees this summer.

As per the Forest Survey of India, in the last two years around 39 sw km forest area—nine in Bhopal district and 30 in Sehore district—have been reduced and it is directly affecting the weather of nearby areas. “In last two years the maximum temperate of Bhopal, Sehore, Raisen, Vidisha have been sort up by 2 degree, which not normal,” said Meteorological Scientist, DP Dubey.

Moreover, there is also raise in ultraviolet radiation which causes skin related dieses including skin allergy. According to a skin specialist Dr Anurag Tiwari, cases of skin allergy have been increased by 15% in last four years.

When contacted, Divisional Manager of MPSFDC Aadarsh Shrivastava said that the corporation is only working as per the Forest Treatment Working Plan, 2012. “According to the plan, the corporation will replace old and useless trees with new ones. All the trees of those areas were aged and crossed 60 years. As the monsoon arrives, the corporation has planned to plant lakhs of saplings in the same areas,” said Aadarsh Shrivastava.

Commenting over the issue, former assistant conservator of forests, Dr Sudesh Waghmare said “Cutting trees in the name of forest treatment and replacing them with new ones is wrong. Those were just 50- to 60-year-old trees. If the corporation is planning to replant trees, then it will take 40 to 50 years to become an exuberant forest. They should hammer out some other solution to conserve the forest instead of cutting and replanting trees. It will only harm the environment.”