Mysuru:  Ten giant century-old trees have been cut at Chunchanakatte in Mysuru District to widen the road that leads to the famous Chunchanakatte Falls. In all, 14 trees were marked to be cut and due to rain, the axing of remaining four trees has been put on hold now. The trees were chopped despite opposition from local villagers and senior citizens who have seen the trees grow since their childhood. 

Before cutting, the trees were auctioned and 13 bidders purchased the rights to chop 14 trees and use the wood for their purposes. The Chunchanakatte Falls is also called Dhanushkoti waterfall where a water cascade is located at Chunchanakatte village near K.R. Nagar and it is around 55 kms from Mysuru.

As water is released from Harangi Dam in Kodagu, at Dhanushkoti, before the water reaches KRS, water falls from a height of more than 60 feet. It looks like milk foam gushing from above and the place attracts tourists in thousands.

To make the falls more attractive and to draw more and more tourists, the Tourism Department organises Jalapathotsava every year. However, the sad part of this year’s Jalapathotsava is that 10 trees have been cut to widen the road that leads to Chunchanakatte Falls.

Wood for tobacco curing

The trees were chopped four days back and workers have left the trunks and branches by the road side. All the people who have purchased the trees own either tobacco barns or brick kilns and villagers say that the wood will be either used to air-cure the harvested tobacco or will be used to burn the bricks at the kilns.

Reacting on the massacre of trees, Indramma, who has won Chief Minister’s Award for Best Woman Farmer in Karnataka for Organic Farming, told Star of Mysore that already K.R. Nagar is facing drought-like situation and if more and more trees are chopped, the area will soon look arid, devoid of any greenery.

A resident of K.R. Nagar Taluk, Indramma said that this year, it has not rained much in K.R. Nagar though rains have lashed Mysuru, Kodagu and surrounding areas. “People here are yet to begin their field work and those who have begun are waiting for water. It is very sad to see century-old trees being cut. We do not need such a development where environment is damaged,” she said.

Tobacco lobby behind cutting

Another environmental activist from Mysuru, who wanted to be anonymous, said that there is a huge tobacco lobby behind cutting of trees. “If we go to Hunsur, we find many timber-laden trucks lined up on either side of the road. All of these head towards villages to be used in tobacco barn to maintain temperature. Unfortunately, many elected representatives are promoting tobacco lobby and have directly contributed to the destruction of Western Ghats while they claim to be custodians of forest wealth,” he said. “It is a scary scene if at all the tobacco and timber lobby has entered K.R. Nagar belt. They will definitely destroy the green cover. The place where the trees were cut is a heritage location where the annual Chunchanakatte Cattle Fair is held,” he explained.

Once a mythological forest spot, sanctified by the short stay of Lord Rama and Sita during their exile, Chunchanakatte has a small but historic temple built during the reign of Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. “The  Cattle Fair is one of the largest in the region. A statue of a cow can still be seen here signifying the importance of the place,” he said.