Dharamsala, June 29
The felling of three peepal trees at Jhakler panchayat in Dehra subdivision of Kangra district has created a political controversy. Peepal tree felling is banned in Himachal Pradesh and people cannot remove these trees even from their land without the permission of the Forest Department.
Trees were allegedly felled by people associated with a local influential politician, who had joined the BJP recently. Vice-pradhan of Kharian panchayat Jasbir Singh, who is a leader of the BJP Kisan Morcha, in a complaint to the Forest Department has alleged that the supporters of an MLA had felled peepal trees illegally. Acting on the complaint, Forest Department officials confiscated the felled trees.
DFO, Dehra, Sunny Verma said that the felled peepal trees had been impounded. The Assistant Conservator of Forest, Dehra, had been asked to conduct an inquiry into the incident.
Sources said that due to the ban on felling of peepal trees, it was a criminal offence.
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