Tree cutters will be held under PD Act: Ramanna

Forest and Environment Minister Jogu Ramanna today directed his officials to book cases under Preventive Detection Act against those felling trees illegally.

Planting saplings as part of Harithaharam program along with Health Minister Dr C Lakshma Reddy at Mahbubnagar district, the minister warned tree cutters of serious action. He said the State government would go ahead with its plan of planting 20 crore saplings across the State. Exhorting people to participate in Harithaharam, the brainchild of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, Ramanna said, “Though we thought of planting over 40 crore saplings this year, it was not possible due to negligible rainfall”. He asked the Forest officials to take stringent action against those who cut the trees causing environmental pollution and ecological imbalance.

“Harithaharam program was successful in Karimnagar and Warangal with good rains while it was not so at Ranga Reddy, Mahbunagar and Nalgonda districts due to scanty rainfall. Now we are taking up second phase of greenery program with these districts seeing some improvement in rainfall”, he added. (NSS)