Report by Yogish D
Team Mangalorean Kundapura

Kundapur:  Shelkod-Hulipari a stretch of area in Moodoor in Kundapura  being a naxal- affected area,  there had been no development whatsoever. There was demand from the locals for improving Mudoor-Shelkod road, and the demand had been conceded by the Government too.  But since this is a forest stretch of an area dense with trees, it was needed that the trees be cut down, for which the work of widening of the road hadn’t materialized.

Out of sheer disgust or goaded by somebody to perform this act, it is not known, a team of more than 100 were all set to cut down all the trees found in this stretch of an area in Jadkal near Kollur in Kundapur.The exact area is identified to be Shelkod-Hulipari area of the village exactly.

On Saturday between 10pm-12pm in the night at a place called Shelkod Hulipari till Mudoor Open Ground in the Wild Life Unit area  in 3-4 km distance near the road more than 150 trees have been felled using mechanized saws. 

The felled trees were found stretched over the roads causing all sorts of troubles for buses and other vehicles.  Even electric poles have also been uprooted due to which electricity line is affected causing trouble to the residents of the area.

It was around 60 years before during the tenure of I M Jayarama Shetty as MLA, Shelkod-Mudoor road had been asphalted.  Nothing more had been done since then to these roads, in the rainy season including affecting the power supply, the roads offer nightmarish experience to the commuters in the area.  This kind of felling of trees was done 25 years before too and the same act has been repeated again. 

The locals recall to Mangalorean.com correspondent that similar felling of trees  had happened  in 2009 at a place called Kundabail.
 
The location where the trees were felled overnight is Mudoor Open Ground is very close to the Forest Department Office by a distance of half a km. In spite of it, it is saddening to take note that 156 trees  costing about 50 lacs have been felled and this scene is very much disturbing to the environmentalists.

The miscreants have assaulted the forest officials on duty in the night.  Rooppesh Chauhan, Forester patrolling in the night including a few others on duty were pelted stones and abused in bad language, and a case has been registered over it in the Police Station.  Over the complaint given by Roopesh Chowhan, the Udaya Nagar residents Shibu Kurian, Kateyath Vineel, Mel Baiju and Navin Belkal altogether 45 people have been identified to be the miscreants.  Interrogation is on about the rest of them.

Forest Dept. Officials namely Dejappa, SI Kolloor Police Station ; Karunakara Acharya, Forester and clerical staff had visited the spot in the night itself.  Kundapura DYSP Shekar Angadi ; Circle Inspector Madan Gaonkar ; Kundapur Forest Officer Ganesh Rai ; Kundapur Asst. Forest Official Manjunath Shetty ; Asst. Forest Conservator - Wild Life Dept. Kundapur  Sathish Baburai also visited the spot.