NBA's women activists "succeed" in putting an end to tree cutting spree in Narmada valley

By A Representative
Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) women activists on Friday succeeded in putting a stop to tree cutting spree, going on in a village near Indore city in Madhya Pradesh. This followed a complaint they lodged with the forest official about chopping of trees in village Nandgaon.
The official called for contractor, who was involved in indiscriminate tree cutting in this village of Narmada valley over the last 15 days.

The contractor would bring with him three tree cutting diesel machines and other equipment and 12 labourers from Dewas district, chopping off, among others, 50 to 100 years old trees. "He must have transported more than 80 quintals of wood out of the village in the last 15 days", an NBA source said, adding, "Thousands of quintals of wood have been cut in other villages of the valley. Green cover of the Narmada valley has been hit badly."
The NBA source added, "Following NBA activists' complaint, the contractor first agreed to come on phone within for an hour to talk over. However, he did not turn up, but instead asked his labourers, who came in a tractor to secure possession of the contractor's luggage, sawmill, diesel etc. Thereafter, by evening he took away everything."
It regretted, "It is unfortunate that such tree cutting is going on in the valley without the permission of the village panchayat, in violation of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996."

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