Six months, no action: Cheeka MC tree felling case in limbo

Nearly six months after a complaint was filed on the CM Window alleging illegal tree cutting and soil excavation from land belonging to the Cheeka Municipal Committee (MC), authorities have failed to take concrete action — raising concerns about administrative accountability.

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The complaint, filed on December 24, 2024, by Bhag Singh, a resident of Tatiana village in Guhla tehsil, accused individuals of cutting trees and excavating soil from MC land that had been leased, without any public notification or clarity on fund utilisation.

“I submitted a complaint and sought specific information — who gave permission to axe the trees, where the funds were deposited and whether any notification was issued. But even after six months, I have not received a single reply. I was only called to the MC office twice, but nothing was done,” said Bhag Singh. He added that similar complaints were also sent to the Deputy Commissioner of Kaithal.

According to official records accessed by The Tribune, an internal inquiry was conducted by the MC, and a report dated March 18, 2025, confirmed that 16 trees were cut and soil removed from the leased land, leading to an estimated loss of Rs 18-22 lakh to the committee. The land was reportedly leased to one Ishwar Singh, who was summoned multiple times but failed to appear to record his statement.

Following the report, the then Secretary of MC Cheeka filed a formal complaint at the Cheeka police station on March 21, followed by a reminder on April 1, naming Ishwar Singh and requesting immediate action. However, progress has stalled since.

Rekha Rani, chairperson of the Cheeka MC, acknowledged the situation. “As soon as the matter came to my notice, I directed the then secretary to conduct an inquiry in March. The team confirmed that trees were missing, and a police complaint was filed by the secretary,” she said.

Current MC secretary Jitender Kumar, who recently took charge, confirmed he is pursuing the matter with the police but declined to comment on the current leaseholder’s status.

Cheeka SHO Inspector Balbir Singh said Ishwar Singh had been summoned and redirected to the MC office to provide a statement. However, he did not clarify the current status of the CM Window complaint or police action.

Denying all allegations, Ishwar Singh said, “The trees were not on the land I took on lease. All allegations are baseless and meant to malign my image.”

Repeated efforts to reach Deputy Commissioner Preeti and Superintendent of Police Astha Modi for comments were unsuccessful.