Madhya Pradesh to cut 156,319 sal trees over beetle infestation
Big move in Madhya Pradesh: the government is set to cut down 156,319 sal trees to fight off a major beetle infestation.
Most of these trees are in Dindori, with some in Anuppur's Amarkantak area.
The decision comes after a serious outbreak of the sal heartwood borer beetle that threatened local forests.
Locals paid ₹2 per beetle
The infestation has already spread across 30,487 hectares in Dindori. To stop it, officials are removing affected trees and using felled "trap" trees to catch more beetles.
Locals have been roped in too: they get ₹2 for every beetle they collect, which has led to nearly 1.9 million bugs caught by September (costing about ₹3.85 million).
This isn't a new problem either; the pesky borer has been around since 1899 and can cause long-term damage if left unchecked, so officials say these tough steps are needed right now.