Bhubaneswar: A total of 721 trees have been cut for the construction of new government quarters for MLAs, Odisha Forest and Environment Minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia informed the State Legislative Assembly today.

Replying in writing to an unstarred query by BJD legislator Sarada Prasad Nayak from Rourkela, the Minister stated the new MLA quarters will be built over 6.54 hectares of land.

To compensate for the loss, the State Government has undertaken compensatory afforestation, planting 4,000 trees each in Subudhipur and Madhupur, 8,000 trees in Amrit Vidyapeetha, and 2,000 trees in Ghatikia, the Minister’s reply mentioned.

The MLA had sought details on the extent of land being used for the project, the number of trees felled, and the compensatory measures taken by the government.