Acting swiftly on a tip-off from locals, the Sirkazhi tahsildar fined a group of villagers who cut down five trees in promoboke lands in Alalasundaram panchayat of Nagapattinam district.
Tahsildar P. Asokan said he registered a complaint based on a complaint by residents of Alalasundaram panchayat and fined the group Rs10,000. Asokan said the group chopped the trees as they found them close to their patta lands.
“We told the villagers that cutting down a tree in promoboke land is an offence. When we fined Ravi and Rajendran for the offence, they promised that they would not repeat it,” said the proud tahsildar.
A. Illayaraja, who alerted the tahsildar, said, “Though we tried to prevent the people from cutting the trees, they did not listen to us. When the officials came to the spot and questioned them, they kept quiet. As the officials intervened and punished the wrongdoers quickly, the message has spread among other villages also.”
Collector T. Munusamy said he would make efforts to improve the green cover in the coastal town. “When people are alert and interested in protecting the environment, we will support them by all means. This instance will send the right signal to other villagers also,” he said.
A senior environment department official in Chennai said the action in Nagapattinam was a laudable effort.