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Rs 9 lakh fine on contractor for felling 300 extra Khair trees in Mohali forest
Permission was given for felling only 6,000 trees in Mirzapur forest area; Rs 5.72 lakh has already been deducted from the contractor’s security deposits, notice issued for recovery of the remaining amount, which comes to Rs 3.30 lakh.
A team of the Punjab vigilance bureau probing the illegal felling of Khair trees in Mirzapur forest area of Mohali has recommended a fine of Rs 9 lakh on the contractor for cutting more trees than was permitted. As per information, permission was given for felling of 6,000 trees but the contractor cut 300 extra trees.
The probe was conducted on the directions of the Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh after the chief minister’s office received a complaint in this regard.
A senior official of the forest department said that Rs 5.72 lakh has already been deducted from the contractor’s security deposits and a notice has been issued to him for recovery of the remaining fine amount, which comes to Rs 3.30 lakh.
VIOLATIONS GALORE
The team, led by assistant inspector general (vigilance) Ashish Kapoor, found that the contractor maintained no register to record the number of trees felled. Besides, fresh saplings were not planted in place of the felled trees, which is mandatory under the management plan approved by the Government of India. The contractor also violated the felling and marking rules by opening up the closed canopy of the forest.
There were no records of labourers entering and exiting the forest area and even the condition of not felling trees after sunset was violated. No effort was made to apportion the common land, said vigilance officer.
When contacted, contractor Kapil Sharma said, “We had got six permits to cut the trees. I got to know about the fine but I have not received any official intimation. The labourers had cut the trees by mistake.”
The forest department gives permission to fell trees after every five years as per silvicultural practices. Vigilance sources revealed that even as felling trees having a diameter of less than 2-ft is not allowed, several such trees were chopped off.
There are also reports that though the contractor was asked to complete the task by March 15 and ensure that logs are moved to the store by March 31, tree felling continued till mid-April, even after the lockdown was imposed.
