NGT panel inspects ‘illegal felling’ in Nurpur’s forest

To file action taken report in eight weeks

Our Correspondents

Nurpur, Updated At : 07:22 AM Oct 24, 2024 IST

Our Correspondent Nurpur, October 23 Following an order by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on August 21, a joint committee led by Subdivisional Magistrate (SDM) Indora, Surinder Sharma, inspected the alleged illegal felling of khair trees in the Dhayala forest of the Bhadroya forest range, Nurpur forest division. The inspection, conducted yesterday in the presence of whistleblower Durgesh Katoch, involved counting the stumps of felled trees in the forest. Katoch, an environmentalist and resident of Mahtoli village, Indora Assembly constituency, has been actively pursuing action against the illegal activity. The NGT had formed a joint committee, including the District Magistrate (DM) of Kangra, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Nurpur, and the Regional Officer from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFC), Chandigarh, to investigate the matter. Earlier, the team had inspected the same site on October 3. The NGT has directed the committee to submit an action-taken report within eight weeks, with the next hearing scheduled for December 2. Nurpur DFO Amit Sharma confirmed the ongoing investigation into the illegal tree felling, noting that the status report would remain confidential until submitted to the National Green Tribunal. SDM Surinder Sharma was unavailable for comment, but sources indicated that the final inspection of the site would take place on Thursday. Durgesh Katoch, who has been raising the issue for eight months, expressed frustration at the lack of action by the Forest Department, which led him to file a petition with the National Green Tribunal on August 6. Katoch accused the Forest Department of failing to prevent the continuous illegal felling of khair trees and called for a thorough investigation and accountability for those responsible. He emphasised that illegal tree felling poses a serious threat to the region’s environment and ecosystem and urged both the forest department and the public to work together to protect forest resources. Katoch stressed that safeguarding the forests is crucial to preserving the state’s environmental wealth for future generations. - File photo

Following an order by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on August 21, a joint committee led by Subdivisional Magistrate (SDM) Indora, Surinder Sharma, inspected the alleged illegal felling of khair trees in the Dhayala forest of the Bhadroya forest range, Nurpur forest division. The inspection, conducted yesterday in the presence of whistleblower Durgesh Katoch, involved counting the stumps of felled trees in the forest. Katoch, an environmentalist and resident of Mahtoli village, Indora Assembly constituency, has been actively pursuing action against the illegal activity.

The NGT had formed a joint committee, including the District Magistrate (DM) of Kangra, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Nurpur, and the Regional Officer from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFC), Chandigarh, to investigate the matter. Earlier, the team had inspected the same site on October 3. The NGT has directed the committee to submit an action-taken report within eight weeks, with the next hearing scheduled for December 2.

Nurpur DFO Amit Sharma confirmed the ongoing investigation into the illegal tree felling, noting that the status report would remain confidential until submitted to the NGT. SDM Surinder Sharma was unavailable for comment, but sources indicated that the final inspection of the site would take place on Thursday.

Durgesh Katoch, who has been raising the issue for eight months, expressed frustration at the lack of action by the Forest Department, which led him to file a petition with the NGT on August 6. Katoch accused the Forest Department of failing to prevent the continuous illegal felling of khair trees and called for a thorough investigation and accountability for those responsible.

He emphasised that illegal tree felling poses a serious threat to the region's environment and ecosystem and urged both the forest department and the public to work together to protect forest resources. Katoch stressed that safeguarding the forests is crucial to preserving the state's environmental wealth for future generations.