Environment is not safe under Gujarat government. This is because over 6.51 lakh trees have been chopped off in Gujarat in last 5 years.
According to Indian Express, the Gujarat government gave permission to cut over 9.74 lakh trees in the state between 2013 to 2017. These numbers are huge which raise questions on sensitivity of Gujarat government towards environment. It is to note that there has been BJP government in the state from 2013 to 2014 during which PM Modi was chief minister of the state.
According to the data submitted to the state legislative Assembly, during the period of 2013 to 2017 around 6.51 lakh trees were chopped off in the state. It us to note that it is written down in Indian Constitution that it is duty of governments to ‘protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forest and wildlife of the country’. This case doesn’t show that this duty is being performed.
Gujarat government gave permission to cut 1,94,119 trees in 2013 and raised the limit to 2,07, 974 in 2017. According to Indian Express, this data was given as reply by state’s Foreign minister to Congress MLA in response to a question in September 2018.
It is true that the condition of environment has not been good earlier also. But, this doesn’t mean that present government will go on handling the already shrinking tree cover in this way.
