Two persons arrested with 44 logs of illegal khair wood in Una

Two persons were held and 44 logs of Khair wood were recovered from their possession in Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur district, forest officials said on Tuesday.

The forest department has registered a case in Haroli police station against the accused Naresh Kumar and Karnail Singh, from Badhera of Haroli Tehsil in Una district, they added.

Felling of all types of trees is banned in the state and for Khair trees, the state government gives permission on yearly basis.

During patrolling, two persons were caught felling trees in Shamlat land located in the forest behind Pahadiya Mohalla in Badhera village on Monday, Forest Division Officer Pandoga Anil Sharma said.

Investigations revealed that Khair trees have been felled from the forest. The persons who felled the trees were identified as Naresh Kumar and Karnail Singh, he said.

Upon searching the forest, stumps of eight Khair trees were found on the spot. Khair wood was cut with a chain cutter and hidden, he added.

The total number of Khair logs found hidden in the forest was 44 costing about Rs 1.28 lakh, Sharma said.

Deputy Superintendent of Police, Haroli, Mohan Rawat said that a case has been registered against the two accused based on the complaint lodged by the forest department. The investigation of the case is in progress.