IMPHAL, Aug 29: Lawyers under the aegis of All Manipur Bar Association (AMBA) on Monday ceased their works for the day and staged a sit-in-protest against felling of a tree inside in Imphal’s Cheirap Court complex.
The lawyers alleged that the bottle brush tree inside the court complex was cut down on August 27 last without informing any of the authorities of the court.
“Save trees, save the environment and save life,” read one of the placards displayed at the protest site.
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Members of the All Manipur Bar Association (AMBA) staged the protest taking seriously the cutting down of the more than 50 years old bottle brush tree growing inside the complex.
Talking to the media, AMBA president Tomcha Meitei termed the cutting down of the tree as unfortunate and an act of senseless people.
He said that the cutting down of the tree was amid the Government’s mass tree plantation drive to save the environment.
The president of AMBA demanded an inquiry into the cutting down of the tree without informing any of the authorities including court and Forest department.
AMBA will also conduct an independent enquiry into the matter, he said while asserting that upon initial enquiry, they came to know that the state Forest department has no knowledge of felling the tree.
The tree was cut down taking advantage of court holiday as the day was the fourth Saturday of the month. Courts observe the fourth Saturday of each month as a holiday.
No written report or notes or information for cutting down the tree were provided to any of the authorities of the court, he said.
Taking the matter seriously, AMBA enquired with the State Forest department. However, the department also has no knowledge of the cutting down of the tree.
On being informed, officials of the department had also visited the complex and informed that they have no knowledge about cutting the tree, he said
The AMBA had also submitted a memorandum to the chief justice of the High Court of Manipur with a prayer for conducting enquiry, he added. (NNN)
