Forest and Environment Minister Animesh Debbarma on Thursday said that over 11,460 old trees officially cut down in Tripura in the past 32 months for National Highways widening in the state.

Replying to a question of the Congress MLA and former Minister Sudip Roy Barman, the minister said that since January 2022 and till last month 11,460 old trees were officially felled for widening of various national highways in Tripura.

He told the house that before cutting down the trees, the state government had taken permission from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and followed the other formalities.

Debbarma, who also holds the Science and Technology Department, said that based on the order of NGT, a guideline is framed by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change, Forest Conservation Division, for diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes under the Forest Conservation Act,1980-Simplified procedure for grant of permission for felling of trees standing on forest land to be diverted for execution of linear projects. The state of Tripura is following the same guidelines, he said.

The Minister, Roy Barman and other MLAs of both treasury and opposition benches expressed concern over the deforestation in the state for numerous reasons.

Participating in the discussion, Agriculture and Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath said that the state government is now formulating a plan to make it mandatory to plant ten trees against cutting down a tree for any kind of construction and development purposes.

The Forest Minister Debbarma further said that Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on July 5 led the state-level mass plantation drive with the mission of ‘5 lakh saplings in 5 minutes’ to increase the forest cover in the northeastern state.

Debbarma said that before the state-level mass plantation drive, the Forest Department had distributed over seven lakh saplings among students, clubs, organisations, banks, and central and state security forces.

“Our effort to plant trees would not be limited to the July 5 event. The mass plantation drive would continue in the entire monsoon period and beyond,” the minister told the house, adding that over 76 lakh saplings were ready to distribute across the state.

He said that the Forest Department in association with other departments and organisations would plant 50 lakh more saplings of different varieties in phases to further increase the state's forest cover.

Tripura’s current forest cover is over 62 per cent which is good as compared to the other states of the country, said Debbarma, and added, “We are keen to further expand the forest cover in Tripura to deal with the growing climate change-related challenges.”

While many trees are felled to expand the national highways, and state highways, and for various developmental projects, the Forest Department is making all efforts to expand the forest cover through new plantations, he said.

“The forest department has a plan to establish the largest flower park in the region in Tripura,” the minister announced.