Over 6000 trees felled illegally for tiger safari in Kalagarh forest division of Corbett National Park: FSI report

Rishikesh: More than 6000 trees were felled illegally to start a tiger safari in the Kalagarh forest division of Corbett Tiger Reserve, the Forest Survey of India (FSI) has said in its report.

The Uttarakhand forest department had taken the clearance of the Union Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change for the tiger safari project saying only 163 trees will be chopped off in the process.

But the FSI in its report said 6,093 trees were felled over 16.21 hectares of land in place of 163 for the tiger safri project at Pakhro in the Kalagarh forest division.

The report based on a survey conducted by the FSI in June this year was submitted to Uttarakhand's Head of Forest Force Vinod Kumar Singhal recently.

When contacted Singhal said he disagrees with the technique of FSI's survey sample. He said he has sent the report with his comments to the Uttarakhand government and FSI.

Illegal felling of trees and constructions carried out in the buffer zone of Corbett has been probed by around half a dozen committees which have found the involvement of forest officials in the irregularities.

Many of them have been transferred and suspended following their indictment by the probe panels since the matter first hit the headlines.