The Centre has sought an action taken report from the Odisha government over a proposal to fell more than 2,000 full-grown trees inside the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela campus for construction of a new building.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has asked the Additional Chief Secretary of the state’s Forest, Environment and Climate Change (FE&CC) Department to conduct a detailed examination of the issue and take immediate action in accordance with applicable rules and regulations.
In a letter dated March 20, Assistant Commissioner (Forestry) Sujoy Dutta has also sought an action taken report at the earliest for further course of action. The Centre’s intervention came in the wake of a complaint by RTI and environmental activist Alaya Samantaray, who flagged the proposed large-scale tree felling as environmentally unsustainable.
According to the complaint, the identified construction site lies within a dense green patch that not only serves as an ecological buffer zone for the campus itself but also acts as the lungs of the Rourkela steel city. It is also a habitat for local flora and fauna.
Trees to be felled on NIT Rourkela campus for the construction of a new building
Samantaray argued that despite the availability of this earmarked land, authorities are considering a different site that would require cutting a substantial number of mature trees. The activist described the move as “avoidable” and urged a review of the construction plan.
Spread over more than 600 acres in Rourkela, one of India’s industrial hubs known for the Rourkela Steel Plant, the NIT campus is widely regarded as a crucial green cover zone in an otherwise heavily industrialised landscape. With thick vegetation, internal water bodies and relatively undisturbed patches, the campus supports a variety of bird species, small mammals and native plant life.
Environmentalists maintained that such institutional campuses often function as “urban biodiversity refuges”, especially in industrial cities where pollution levels and land-use pressures are high. The large tree cover not only helps regulate the local microclimate but also acts as a carbon sink and natural air purifier.
Samantaray, in his complaint, pointed out that tree felling has taken place in the past for infrastructure expansion, but stressed that the current plan to fell over 2,000 mature trees would have a far more significant ecological impact.
Under existing forest and environmental regulations, felling of trees, particularly in large numbers, requires permission from competent authorities, including the local forest division, and must adhere to compensatory afforestation norms. Projects within institutional campuses are also expected to explore alternatives that minimise ecological damage.
The activist has also urged the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Rourkela to reconsider any permission already granted and direct institute authorities to revisit their plans. He emphasised that development should align with the principle of “minimum tree felling” and sustainable land use.
