Kuldeep Rathore demands inquiry into trees floating in floodwaters

Raising questions on the functioning of the Forest Department, Congress MLA Kuldeep Rathore on Friday demanded an inquiry into hundreds of trees floating out of the forest to the Pandoh Dam in Kullu following cloudbursts and subsequent flashfloods in the region.

“Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu heads the department. He should order an inquiry into the incident, and take strict action against the people responsible for illegal felling of trees,” said Rathore in a press conference here.

“We saw thousands of trees floating in Thunag during the 2023 flashfloods. We saw a repeat of the incident in Kullu this time. The nature itself is providing proof of what’s happening with it,” he said. “The CM should immediately order an inquiry to find out where these trees came from and who’s responsible for the illegal felling,” he said.

He further said the Forest Department was not working responsibly, and the accountability had to be fixed. “It’s a question of the state and our future generation. I’ve myself seen that thousands of trees are being cut where big projects are coming up, but no fresh plantation is being done,” he said.

Linking the illegal felling of trees and illegal mining to the increasing instances of cloudbursts and flashfloods in the state, Rathore said the extreme weather events were taking place mostly in the areas where illegal felling and mining were taking place. “The government must take a prompt and strict action to save the forests,” he said.