Forest mafia intensifies khair tree felling in Nurpur division

Illegal tree felling in the Rey Forest range, located on the interstate border under the Nurpur forest division, continues unabated. Over the past two months, around 40 khair trees have been illegally axed in the Dhameta and Sathana Forest beats. The Forest Department has lodged two FIRs under Sections 26, 32, and 33 of the Indian Forest Act (IFA) and Section 303 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Fatehpur police station last month.

The forest mafia carried out another operation on the night of March 6-7, targeting a forest in the Dhameta beat. Seven khair trees were cut down and converted into logs while the assigned forest guard failed to patrol the area. Upon receiving information, forest officials rushed to the site and managed to seize some of the khair wood logs. However, most of the felled timber had already been taken away by the mafia under the cover of darkness.

In another incident, the Forest Department successfully intercepted an illegal consignment of khair logs early this morning. At around 2:30 am, during routine night patrolling, officials spotted a white Tavera car without a number plate carrying 11 khair tree logs on the Mangarh-Polian link road. A chase ensued, and the department managed to seize the loaded vehicle. However, the three occupants of the car and three bikers escorting it managed to escape into Punjab under the cover of darkness, abandoning the vehicle at the spot.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Nurpur, Amit Sharma, stated that a well-organised forest mafia is operating in the interstate border area, suspected to be responsible for the recent cases of illegal tree felling. The mafia had also cut down three khair trees in the Junat forest last night. After processing them into logs, they attempted to smuggle them into Punjab, but the vehicle carrying the logs was confiscated by the patrolling team. The DFO confirmed that a challan was being filed today in both the civil court and the court of the DFO-cum-Authorised Officer.

Following an initial investigation into the March 6-7 incident, the DFO suspended the forest guard posted in the Dhameta beat for his alleged negligence, which enabled the mafia to operate freely. The Range Officer of Rey Forest has also registered an FIR at Fatehpur police station under relevant sections of the IFA and BNS.

The illegal felling of khair trees in the Nurpur division has raised serious environmental concerns. MR Sharma, a well-known environmentalist from Kangra district and president of the NGO 'People for Environment,' has expressed strong disapproval of the ongoing deforestation. He has called for a high-level and impartial inquiry to investigate the possible involvement of forest department personnel in these illegal activities.

The increasing frequency of such incidents highlights the need for stricter enforcement measures and improved patrolling in the affected areas. Authorities must take immediate action to curb illegal deforestation and protect the region's natural resources.