On the afternoon of November 21, 164 trees were cut down in the Gaurighat Community Forest within an hour and a half.
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The work of taking statements from community forest officials for the investigation into the deforestation that occurred in the second week of November in Kaluwapur, Krishnapur Municipality-7, Kanchanpur has reached the final stage.
Statements are being taken from the chairman of the community forest, other officials and members. ‘The investigation will be completed within a week, after which we will proceed with the case process,’ said Suresh Chandra DC, chief of the Division Forest Office, Kanchanpur, ‘statements are being taken right now.’ He said that statements are being taken from the chairman, secretary and other officials of the community forest, as well as from the police who provided information about the deforestation.
On November 21, in the afternoon, 164 trees were cut down in the Gaurighat community forest within an hour and a half. Now, only a few trees remain in the community forest, which has an area of about 10 hectares. The community forest, which is surrounded by settlements, is now surrounded by only a few bushes.
After the deforestation in the afternoon in a ‘film style’, the Division Forest Office has appointed Bharat Shah, chief of the Sub-Division Forest Office, Bani, as the investigation officer and is investigating. Shah is monitoring the area where the deforestation took place and taking statements from the forest officials.
‘We are investigating so that the culprit does not escape when the porter is caught,’ said the Division Forest Chief DC, ‘But the community forest officials verbally say one thing, there is a lot of running around while taking statements, due to which there is a concern that the culprit will escape.’
According to the Division Forest Office, 135 trees of 16 to 84-inch thick Khair, 28 trees of 24 to 64-inch thick Sisau and 1 tree of Kanju have been felled in the Gaurighat Community Forest. Of the felled trees, 101.55 cubic feet of 61 Golia Khair and 81.03 cubic feet of 41 Golia Sisau have also been recovered. ‘Even if other wood is not found, compensation will be claimed on the basis of the stumps,’ said the DC, ‘The case process will move forward soon.’
According to him, employees of the Sub-Division Forest Office Pipraiya have been deployed to search for the felled wood and those involved in the felling. Employees have been mobilized to search for those involved in deforestation seen in the video that went viral on social media.
The forest was grown by locals by planting trees in 2055 in the Bagar area on the banks of the Mohana River. Since then, the locals have stopped the attempts to encroach on the forest in the name of freed Kamaiya and squatters from time to time. In 2062, the forest was registered and handed over to the community.
