Bhubaneswar, Sep 23:  A total of 721 trees have been cut down to make way for the construction of new government quarters for Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), Odisha Forest and Environment Minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia informed the State Legislative Assembly on Monday.

Responding to a written qustion from BJD legislator Sarada Prasad Nayak, the Minister stated that the new quarters will be constructed on 6.54 hectares of land.

To offset the environmental impact, the government has initiated compensatory afforestation efforts.

According to the Minister’s reply, 4,000 trees have been planted each in Subudhipur and Madhupur, 8,000 in Amrit Vidyapeetha, and 2,000 in Ghatikia.

The question raised by the MLA sought specific information on the land area involved, the number of trees cut, and the steps taken by the government to mitigate environmental loss.