Daltonganj college hostel proposal puts 118 trees under felling review
A high-powered committee in Ranchi must approve the removal of trees before construction of the 100-bed girls' hostel can begin.
A proposal to construct a 100-bed girls' hostel at Ganesh Lal Agarwal College in Daltonganj has led to a formal review for felling 118 trees, according to Urban Acres.
The three-storey facility is planned by Jharkhand State Building Construction Corporation Ltd under the Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan scheme. Vice-chancellor Dinesh Kumar Singh said the hostel will feature 50 rooms with two beds in each to accommodate 100 students.
A survey by the Kundri forest range team in August identified one teak tree and 117 eucalyptus trees at the site. Range officer Mahender Prasad reported that these 118 trees are suitable for felling and cannot be replanted.
The project aims to provide safe housing for women students from outside Daltonganj who struggle to find local hostels or guest facilities. However, some student and non-student organisations have opposed the plan due to concerns regarding the loss of campus green cover.
Forest officials have requested that authorities examine if the site can be realigned to save the trees. Before a committee in Ranchi makes a decision, the forest division must submit land records and an assessment of the minimum possible loss of green cover.
Any permission granted for the felling would require compensatory afforestation.