Five thousand trees cannot be cut, demand raised at Jalpaiguri convention.

Five thousand trees are being cut down for road expansion from Lataguri to Maynaguri. A citizen convention was held on Sunday in the Chalsa area of Jalpaiguri district, organized by the West Bengal Science Forum, to oppose the tree felling. The convention was attended by leaders of the state science movement, local environmental enthusiasts, and members of science and environmental organizations from Jalpaiguri district and surrounding northern districts. At the convention, science activists, leaders of the science movement, and organizers of environmental organizations spoke, urging everyone to come forward to protect the environment by implementing alternative road plans instead of cutting trees in the name of road expansion.

At the beginning of the convention, members of the organization performed an inaugural song. At the start of the convention, concerns were raised about the tourism development centered around the Garumara Sanctuary, which serves as a hub for visiting various tourist centers like Darjeeling, Sikkim, Kalimpong, and surrounding areas, highlighting the region’s biodiversity and natural beauty. In 2017, trees were cut in Lataguri, part of the Garumara Sanctuary, to build an overbridge for two trains, which caused significant damage to the area’s tourism system and the environment.

The draft report of the convention was presented. Speakers at the meeting emphasized that the northern districts of the state, particularly parts of Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, and Darjeeling, are among the most attractive tourism centers for the entire state and the country’s people due to their charming natural forest environment. Destroying the forests will harm the economy. In 2017, a large area in Lataguri was cleared of trees to build a railway overbridge for running two trains. At that time, there was a protest, but the administration imposed Section 144, detained environmental and science activists in jail, and within one night, all the trees were bulldozed and cleared. That area is an elephant corridor. Development that harms the environment will not be accepted in any way. Although no official notification has been issued, it is heard that the National Highway Authority will soon start the road expansion process from Maynaguri to Lataguri by cutting 5000 trees. Several trees have already been marked.