ROURKELA: The National Institute of Technology, Rourkela (NIT-R) has recently secured the forest clearance for felling of 1,872 trees for construction of a mega academic building for its Civil Engineering department.

The proposed Civil Engineering department building will have a total plinth area of 28,000 square metres. The first phase, covering 16,000 square metres, is estimated to cost ’91 crore.

The building proposal had hit a roadblock after the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on March 20 directed the additional chief secretary of the Forest department of Odisha to conduct a detailed examination of the project.

The direction came on the basis of a complaint filed by an environmental activist who alleged that the proposed site formed part of a dense green cover serving as an ecological buffer zone and habitat for local flora and fauna. The complaint suggested shifting the project to an alternative five-acre site within the campus that has comparatively sparse tree cover.

NIT-R registrar Rohan Dhiman stated that the institute had applied for permission to fell trees in accordance with prescribed guidelines and received approval from the Forest department in May. “The institute will proceed with the project only after securing all necessary clearances,” he said.

Divisional forest officer (DFO) Jashabanta Sethi confirmed that permission for tree felling had been granted following due procedures and subject to certain conditions. He noted that NIT-R would be required to undertake compensatory plantation at a ratio of 1:10 within the campus and has already deposited the required funds for this purpose.

Sources indicated that an unused land parcel near the main academic building has been identified for the project, which contains 1,872 trees.

NIT-R authorities mentioned that the institute is simultaneously pursuing mandatory approvals from the Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) and preliminary fire safety clearance from the Fire Services department.