Deodar trees ‘felled’ in remote Chamba area

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dhramsala, April 24

Amidst lockdown forest mafia has become active in remote Churrah area of Chamba district. Sources here said that some members of forest mafia have felled hundreds of deodar trees in Charori panchayat of Churrah assembly constituency.

Some local youth shot on camera the felling of deodar trees and provided it to The Tribune. According to the video, a large number of trees seem to have been felled and converted into sleepers. Efforts also seemed to have been made to remove the stumps of some trees to destroy the evidence.

Churrah area was sealed after four persons, who had attended Tablighi Jamaat congregation, tested positive for Covid 19.

The sources pointed to the involvement of local people in the felling of trees. Since there was no way the deodars could be taken out of Churrah area due to curfew, it was being expected that those who felled the trees might have been storing them in area and waiting for the right time to transport them out.

DFO Chamba, Nishant Thakur, said that he had received a complaint that deodar trees have been felled in forest area of Charori panchayat. “I have sent a team there. However, for the time being nothing could be said since the area where the trees have been felled is very remote. The team that has gone on the spot was not even approachable on mobile phone for the time being,” he said.