The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has sought an action report from the Odisha government over allegations of possible felling of more than 2,000 mature trees for a new construction project at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Rourkela. .
In a letter dated March 20 to Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Forest, Environment and Climate Change, the ministry asked officials to examine a complaint filed by an environmental activist and take necessary action in line with applicable environmental laws. It also directed the state to submit a report as soon as possible for further study.
Environmental activist Alia Samantray’s complaint alleged that the proposed construction site is located within a dense green patch inside the NIT campus in Rourkela.
According to the complaint, the area serves as an ecological buffer zone that supports local biodiversity. The complainant suggested that an alternative location within the campus, where groundwork for the Civil Engineering Department project had commenced and where tree cover was limited, could be used to avoid large-scale felling of trees.
In his letter, Samantray said the NIT campus serves as the “green lung” of the industrial city and warned that the scale of tree felling proposed in the current state could have major environmental consequences.
He also urged the Rourkela Forest Officer to review any permissions granted for the project and advise the institute to reconsider its construction plan, with a focus on minimizing tree loss by exploring alternative sites.
