Madikeri:  The recent rain and landslide havoc in Kodagu has uprooted thousands of trees. State Chief Secretary and the Deputy Commissioner of the district have entrusted the responsibility of clearing the uprooted trees to the Forest Department. But the forest officials are now faced with a piquant problem as the owners of the lands are squabbling over the ownership of trees !

Madikeri Region DFO Manjunath says that trees belonging to someone, on uprooting during the natural calamity, have fallen on the land of someone else thus ruling out the question of  ownership. He has appealed the public to understand the situation and co-operate with the Forest Department to get the trees cleared. He added that the trees cannot be handed over to the land owners as it is impossible to authenticate the ownership of a tree.

Sometime ago when Forest officials were clearing the fallen trees in Jodupala, the land owners and villagers had strongly opposed the action of the Forest Department. The protestors had alleged that the Department officials were trying to sell the trees to timber merchants. However, the forest officials had contended that the timber merchants were given licence and permit only to cut the trees and transport the logs to Depot at Anekaadu.

Trees fallen by the road side have already been cleared. Those fallen in rivers and on paddy fields are being removed in a phased manner. The quantity of wood and estimated value are being furnished to the Government, according to Forest officials who have sought enough Police protection for clearing the uprooted trees.