Trees mowed down by bulldozersDown under it would perhaps take one of those flaming bush fires to destroy some five lakh trees. In the Tilpat forest range of Haryana, some 15 km from the Delhi border, it has taken just half a dozen rampaging bulldozers to fell as many in less than 20 days.The Indian Air Force (IAF), at whose behest the keekar trees and bushes - mainly used for firewood - were uprooted last month, says it was done in the nation's interest: to restore the test-bombing, air-to-ground area at Tilpat which had turned into a wild forest.The Defence Ministry is nettled by the devastation, especially since the IAF had not deemed it fit to take the mandatory clearances for felling the trees from the ministries of defence and environment and forests.Normally, under the Cantonment Land Administration Rules, the concerned defence estate officer (DEO) has to be present when decisions to cut down trees are taken. In this case, it was only ex post facto that the IAF intimated the Directorate-General of Defence Estates (DGDE), the custodian of defence land in the country, and while doing so, sought permission for uprooting an additional nine lakh trees at the Tilpat range itself.The IAF, which plans to hold fire power demonstrations (FPDs) in Tilpat in November, contends that there was nothing wrong in clearing 4,000 acres of the range in such a hurry. FPDs, regular features in air bases like Pokhran, involve target bombing with pinpoint accuracy by low-flying aircraft. The planes often fly down at speeds up to 1,000 kmph and bird hits, a result of trees on the flight-path, can destroy fighter aircraft that cost up to Rs 100 crore; the Republic Day fly past over Rajpath was suspended for 12 years after a vulture hit a MiG 21 and destroyed the aircraft in 1983. Justifying the cutting of trees in Tilpat , top officials in the air chief 's office say the range can now be utilised to its full potential.In fact, the IAF had been regularly conducting target pin point bombing at the range till 1989 when increasing incidents of bird hits, a fallout of the dense vegetation in the area, forced it to use it sparingly. Moreover, it fit into the forest conservation plans of the Government. The target-bombing exercises were shifted to Sidhwankhas, Jalandhar, 280 km away from the Hindon air force station.But soon it was felt that the new test site was proving expensive. Tilpat was a mere 40 km from the Hindon station and test-bombing at this range would save aviation fuel. Also, the purpose of conserving forest land at Tilpat was being defeated as there was large-scale encroachment and wood-cutting by villagers of the area. So the IAF returned to Tilpat, and in September last year, started -test-firing by both helicopters and fighter aircraft.What has been bothering officials in the DGDE and the Defence Ministry is a perceived attempt by the IAF to act on its own. The DGDE has sent a detailed report to senior officials in the Defence Ministry, who are now considering the gravity of the situation. The IAF's argument that flight safety necessitated the tree-felling is not going down well with them.They maintain that the cutting down of green trees is not permissible unless it is for "inescapable eventualities". Also, the disposal of trees on defence land is the responsibility of the DEO. But the trees in question were felled without even informing the DEO's office, let alone involving it in the exercise.The violation of administration rules apart, the fact remains that the country's precious forests are being depleted. Over the past year, the IAF is known to have cut down thousands of trees in Agra and Bakshi ka Talab, near Lucknow, again to clear land for test exercises. Surely, it knows that safeguarding the nation's interests also means safeguarding the green cover.Published By: AtMigration Published On: May 18, 1998--- ENDS ---
