Environmentalists alarmed as 5.84L trees felled on banks of river Jhelum

RAISING serious environmental concerns in Jammu and Kashmir, authorities have felled over 5.84 lakh trees along the Jhelum River in the last five years as part of their attempt to remove encroachments from the banks.

- FAYAZ WANI @ Srinagar

The office of the Chief Engineer, Irrigation and Flood Control Department, Kashmir, revealed in response to an RTI query that 6,32,924 lakh trees were identified as "encroachments" on the riverbanks, and 5,84,153 of them were cut. Srinagar-based RTI activist and environmentalist M M Shuja filed the RTI.