The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has sought an action taken report from the Odisha government over allegations that more than 2,000 mature trees may be felled for a new building project at National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela. .
In a letter dated March 20 to the additional Chief Secretary of the Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department, the ministry asked the officials to examine a complaint filed by an environmental activist and take action in line with applicable environmental laws. It also directed the state to submit a report at the earliest for further consideration.
Environmental activist Alaya Samantaray’s complaint alleged that the proposed construction site lies within a dense green patch inside the NIT campus in Rourkela.
According to the complaint, the area functions as an ecological buffer zone supporting local biodiversity. The complainant suggested that an alternative site within the campus where groundwork for a Civil Engineering Department project has reportedly begun and tree cover is limited, could be used to avoid large-scale felling.
Samantaray in his letter said that the NIT campus serves as a “green lung” for the industrial city and warned that the scale of tree felling proposed in the current case could have significant ecological consequences.
He also urged the Divisional Forest Officer in Rourkela to review any permissions granted for the project and advise the institute to reconsider its construction plan, with a focus on minimising tree loss by exploring alternative locations.
