No permission was given for felling of trees for central project, Khurda DFO tells NGT

Cuttack: In a significant development in the ongoing legal battle over the Central Research Institute of Yoga and Naturopathy (CRIYN), Bhinjagiri, in Khurda district, the divisional forest officer (DFO), Khurda, has filed an affidavit before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), east zone bench, asserting that no permission was granted for felling of trees on the proposed project site.The foundation stone of the institute was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi via video conferencing on Oct 29, 2024, for establishment of a 100-bed naturopathy hospital and research facility under the ministry of ayush.The affidavit comes in the wake of a petition filed by local residents, Hazari Dehuri and Hrudananda Kodamsingh, who challenged the diversion of the 20-acre land for the proposed institute. On March 19, 2025, the NGT had stated that all construction work would be subject to the outcome of the petition seeking relocation of the project.When the matter was taken up again on Sept 2, petitioners’ counsel —advocates Sankar Prasad Pani and Ashutosh Padhy — filed an interlocutory application (IA) seeking a stay on tree felling. The tribunal, comprising judicial member Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Dr. Afroz Ahmad, directed CRIYN to file its reply to the IA within four weeks. The case will next be heard on Oct 17, 2025.The affidavit, submitted by DFO Gajanan Dayanand Lade, stated that the land identified for the institute — 20 acres at Mouza Bhinjagiri — was categorized as “gochar” (grazing land), not recorded forest.

However, joint verification by forest and revenue officials revealed that the area “looked like forest” with very dense vegetation, having over 3,300 trees per hectare and more than 70% crop density.The DFO noted that the land hosts Class-II species of trees and estimated the net present value (NPV) of the standing crop at Rs 83.44 lakh for the 8-hectare area, following Supreme Court valuation guidelines.Despite the forest-like nature, the DFO clarified that no approval had been granted for any tree cutting. Citing a letter dated Nov 14, 2017, sent to the director of the Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy (CCRYN), the DFO reiterated that “no standing trees shall be uprooted for construction,” as per a resolution passed in a 2017 meeting chaired by the Khurda collector.