Illegal felling of trees rocks House again

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, December 8

The issue of illegal felling of trees in Chamba district rocked the House again today.

As soon as the Question Hour ended, Suresh Bharadwaj, BJP MLA from Shimla, got up from his seat and said the state government had maintained that an FIR was registered in the case of illegal felling of trees in Chamba district, but it was misleading and pertained to felling of just 100 trees, whereas over 2,200 green trees were felled in Chamba district.

He said the block-level forest officials had been given the power of Assistant Conservator Forests (ACF) and several officers were given postings in home ranges against the rules. He also alleged that the evidence in Chamba forests was being destroyed after the matter was raised in the House. BJP MLA Ravinder Ravi demanded that the CD that had evidence regarding the large-scale illegal felling of trees in Chamba should be shown to all members of the House. BJP members alleged that even Congress MLA Asha Kumari had not been spared and trees were felled illegally form her forest.

The CM, however, hit back at the Opposition by saying: “I know who has supplied you the CD.”

He said in case the Opposition was so keen on putting up the CD on display, it should go in the Assembly compound and put it on display.

“In case you show one CD, we shall show 20,” he said.

The CM said in case of Asha Kumari, she had a private forest and the Forest Department had nothing to do with it. He said: “In case you keep on pressing on this issue, we can also hit back with cases like Bemloi tree felling and scores of other such cases.”

Leader of Opposition Prem Kumar Dhumal, while reacting to the CM’s statement, said: “Shall we assume that illegal felling of trees will continue and the House will not do anything in the matter?”

He said the state government was free to take action in any case, including Bemloi if illegal felling had taken place.

He said reports were coming during the session that the accused were trying to destroy evidence in illegal felling of trees in Chamba district.

To this the CM said: “I will not spare anybody in case they are found guilty in illegal felling of trees.” In the meantime, the speaker rejected the adjournment motion moved by BJP MLA Suresh Bharadwaj over the issue of illegal felling of trees on the plea that the House had already debated over the issue.

The government in its reply to the notice said: “The House has already debated the issue and action is being taken against those guilty of felling green trees illegally.