Timber Theft On Ayodhya Bypass Amid Tree Felling For Road Widening
The unchecked movement of people carrying heavy timber across the high-speed bypass has also raised serious safety concerns. Motorists travelling on the busy road, frequently used by heavy vehicles, are being forced to apply sudden brakes to avoid collisions with people crossing the road carrying logs. Residents fear the situation could lead to a major road accident at any moment.
Timber Theft On Ayodhya Bypass Amid Tree Felling For Road Widening | FP Photo
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Amid the ongoing widening work on the 16.5-km-long Ayodhya Bypass, large-scale theft of timber from felled trees has surfaced due to the alleged negligence of the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC).
Valuable wood from hundreds of trees cut along the roadside has been left unattended, with no security or monitoring arrangements in place.
The tree felling began after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently granted permission for the cutting of 7,871 trees for the bypass expansion project being undertaken by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
Residents living near the bypass are allegedly taking advantage of the absence of surveillance. Groups of men and women carrying axes and saws have reportedly been seen cutting large sections of timber and openly taking them away.
Locals said the situation has become so unchecked that people are transporting logs on their shoulders and loading timber into auto-rickshaws without fear of administrative action.
Threat to motorists on busy stretch
The unchecked movement of people carrying heavy timber across the high-speed bypass has also raised serious safety concerns. Motorists travelling on the busy road, frequently used by heavy vehicles, are being forced to apply sudden brakes to avoid collisions with people crossing the road carrying logs. Residents fear the situation could lead to a major road accident at any moment.
Rules mandate immediate removal of timber
As per regulations, timber from trees felled for development work must be immediately shifted to the BMC depot or store, where it is later auctioned to generate government revenue. However, officials have failed to remove the timber from the site in time, resulting in the alleged theft of wood worth lakh of rupees and causing revenue losses to the administration.
Similar incidents of timber theft were also reported during previous tree-felling drives in the city.
Official Statement
BMC Commissioner Sanskriti Jain said the matter would be investigated.
If trees being felled during the widening of the Ayodhya Bypass are being stolen, the matter will be looked into. Information regarding this will be sought from the concerned officials, she said.
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