Praja Soudha came up after 326 trees were felled in 2018
The Tree Officer, through an order, had allowed Dakshina Kannada district administration to cut down 202 trees for the project which has come up on 5.89 acres at Padil. The permission was not required to cut down another 124 trees. Getting permission to fell them was exempted under Section 8 of the Karnataka Tree Preservation Act.
The Forest Department officials had cut the trees on January 10, 2018 amid police security as green activists had opposed their felling. The officials first cut down 124 trees on the project site and later felled the remaining 202 trees.
Of the 10.09 acres of land that belong to the Karnataka State Forest Industries Corporation (KSFIC) at Padil, the government transferred 5.89 acres to the Revenue Department on November 14, 2014 for the project.
The Tree Officer passed the order after conducting a public hearing on January 4, 2018, on an application by the Deputy Commissioner seeking permission to cut down trees for the project.
This application was filed following the dismissal on December 20, 2017 of the petition filed by an activist before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) challenging the move to cut down trees for the project.
Praja Soudha was inaugurated last month.
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