Dutta in his petition said the garden authorities have uprooted nearly 100 trees inside the garden illegally.
The PIL added the Indian Botanical Garden, which comes under the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, had axed the trees in November and later sold them in pieces. According to the litigant, the trees were axed from a seven acre area to make way for a garden.
He added the authorities have violated the West Bengal Trees (Prevention and Conservation in Non-Forest Areas) Act 2006, by felling the trees without obtaining permission from the West Bengal Forest Department.
Dutta had lodged a complaint with the Shibpur police station and the Forest Department against the Indian Botanic Garden on November 16. While the police did not take any action, the Forest Department had taken a serious note of the felling of trees.
The goverment has sent a notice to the garden authorities asking for an explanation. “We have also informed the Union Ministry for Environment and Forests about the episode,” said Bijoy Chatterjee, Principal Secretary, Department of Forests and Tourism.
What has invited the wrath of the state government is the gross violation of a law passed by the state government three years ago, which clearly defines that permission has to be taken from the authorities concerned before axing any tree.
Even Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee saw red on the issue and asked his officials to look into the matter. “It was a serious and unpardonable offence. I have asked the Forest Department to look into the matter and take action,” the chief minister had said at a function in Kolkata on Wednesday.