The Maharashtra forest department has authorized a preliminary clearance for the axing of trees and division of foreign land at a tiger corridor in Vidarbha. This is to be done for the construction of the Chandrapur Greenfield airport in the state.
According to media sources, this project would lead to the destruction of more than 3,000 trees. The Maharashtra Airport Development Corporation (MADC) intends to develop the first-ever airport in Vidarbha which would cater to Q-400, A-320 and smaller planes. It is said to accelerate economic development in the region by ensuring swift transportation from different parts of the country.
The team of Mumbai Live got in touch with Zoru Bhatena, who has previously been involved in the Aarey protests, which protested the felling of over 2,700 trees in order to build a car shed for the metro. Speaking about quick clearance given by authorities to allow the felling of trees, Bhatena stated “The question that should be asked is which project has been refused by the authorities concerning the felling of trees? Nothing has been refused. In any system, there is a process of checks and balances. That process has been thrown out of the window. If you apply, you get permission. The processes itself is flawed.”
Further speaking of the role of the activists in creating awareness about the environmental issues, Bhatena added, “This is not something new, and this has been happening for years. Activists or environmentalists, at the end of the day, if they put enough pressure whatever way it be, then people will think twice before getting into the fight. We need to make sure that we must make our best efforts so that the fight is fought well”
The conservation of tigers has been an important issue that has been a crucial discussion in the last couple of years. Today, the number of tigers roaming around in the wild is about 3,000 and if this trend continues, then the felines might cease to exist which can be extremely problematic in the long run.
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