BHUBANESWAR:Rampant felling of trees in the last few days has posed a threat to the famous peacock valley at Naraj in Cuttack.
Caretaker of the valley Kanhu Charan Behera said more than 200 trees have been felled in the last three-four days. “I heard that trees are being felled for a Government project in the area. If compensatory afforestation is not done in the nearby areas, it will pose a threat to the valley which is home to around 120 peacocks,” Kanhu. He also urged Government officials to take adequate steps for more plantation in the area.
Kanhu’s grandfather Pannu Behera, famously known as ‘Peacock Man’, had turned the 76 acre Siddheswar Police Firing Range in Cuttack district into a peacock valley in 1999. Pannu served as a home guard with Odisha police in the firing range for 32 years. After Pannu’s death last year, Kanhu took over the duty and now takes care of the peacocks.
Sources said the trees are being felled for setting up the Central Poultry Development Organisation (CPDO) for eastern region in the area. Around 35 acre of land has been earmarked in the Naraj-Talagarh area of Barang block in the district of which 25 acre will be acquired from the peacock valley.
Currently, the CPDO is located near Kalinga Stadium at Jaydev Vihar in the State Capital. The decision to shift the centre from near Kalinga Stadium was taken to free up space ahead of Men’s Hockey World Cup 2018 in November this year.
Meanwhile, environmentalists opined that the birds will be most affected if construction work takes place in the area. A few organisations have also come forward seeking change of location for setting up the CPDO.