Precarious perches the axe

GANGTOK, 30 June: The Forest Department today began removing trees that are ‘located precariously and are likely to fall during the monsoon’, in follow-up to the reminder of the East District Administration served to the Department on 20 June.
The district-level meeting on “Disaster Management and Pre-Monsoon Preparedness” convened by the District Collectorate [East] on 26 May had “strictly” directed the Forest Department that, “trees that are located precariously and are likely to fall during the monsoon shall be identified and be removed at the earliest.”

Today’s initiative came within nine days of a reminder letter served by the SDM [East] to the DFO [T] requesting him to take necessary action and report on action-taken within ten days after observing that the Forest Department was not responding to the earlier directions.
Speaking to NOW! over the phone, DFO [T], East, Nambi Bhutia said, “Today we felled 12 trees Gangtok and its surrounding areas but some the trees located precariously have been left as they fall under private lands.”
“I am assigned this job for the whole East District, which, I will finish immediately,” said Mr. Bhutia adding that the dangerously located trees falling under private lands will be felled eventually.
Among the 12 trees removed today under Mr. Bhutia, who has constituted a task force including four experts from outside his Department today felled down three trees and cleared the debris of two, which had fallen last night because of a mud slip in front of the Sikkim Jewels gate and rest were from Panihouse area.
“It will take two days more to bring down all the precariously perched trees in and around Gangtok,” informs Mr. Bhutia.