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Case against forest officers over illegal felling of trees in Karnataka’s Kodagu district
The felling order was given by the DCF without a joint survey report of Revenue and Forest Department, and on the basis of a forged report
The Karnataka forest department has ordered officials to file a criminal case against the deputy conservator of forests (DCF), a retired assistant conservator of forests (ACF), range forest officer (RFO), deputy range forest officer (DRFO) and others for illegally felling and selling 66 valuable teak trees in Kodagu district,officials said.
The Department has ordered the initiation of a criminal case against Bengaluru urban DCF Y Chakrapani, retired ACF P T Uthappa and others for illegally allowing a coffee grower to cut down 66 teak trees in 2022 in Virajpet division of the Kodagu district, the officials added.
According to a senior forest officer, in 2022, a landowner, M N Ramesh, under the Kutta range forest office jurisdiction had sought permission from the state forest department to fell six teak trees in his coffee estate. In April 2022, the then Virajpet DCF Y Chakrapani approved the axing of 66 teak trees based on forged revenue documents.
The felling order was given by the DCF without a joint survey report of Revenue and Forest Department, and on the basis of a forged report by Virajpet tahsildar.
“It is evident from the available documents in the file that the government seal and signature of officials of the revenue department was forged and used to give the felling order,” the officer said, seeking anonymity.
The joint survey is mandatory for cutting trees to transport it to other districts but the officials issued permit without any survey and forged documents, the officials said.
As the matter came to light in June 2023, the department ordered a probe into the case and state government has suspended all the officers involved, after they were found guilty.
DCF Y Chakrapani secured relief from high court after the Central Administrative tribunal (CAT) rejected to issue stay against suspension order.
While, ACF Uthappa retired this year while RFO, DRFO, office manager and others obtained stay order from Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT) against their suspension.
The matter came to light in June 2023, when the officials had sent the disk sample of the wood to Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Bengaluru to formally certify the age of the tree. The IWST confirmed that the estimated age of the sample was 171 years plus or minus five years. The sample sent by the department was from a tree of 2.21-metre girth. Officials who went to the spot had reported that the girth of many of the 66 trees allowed for felling was around 3 metres. The value of 66 trees was worth over crores, said a forest officer.
In Kodagu, there are many kinds of land tenure. If a land tenure mentioned in RTC says it is redeemed Sagu, the land owner has full rights on the trees as he paid tree value to government. It is an unredeemed land and the state government has full rights on those trees. However, a 100 cubic ft of wood will be given to land owner for Bonafide use, officials said.
During the probe it was found that the 66 trees were cut in an unredeemed land and the state government incurred a loss of crores of rupees.
Additional principal chief conservator of Forests Brijesh Kumar, on August 2, in an order to Virajpet DCF instructed to file a police complaint against all the officials. “This is the first case of criminal prosecution against an IFS officer in the last five years,‘’ APCCF Brijesh Kumar told HT.
He said the officials were found guilty after a detailed investigation by a government-appointed committee. “I have received the orders from APCCF. I will file a police complaint tomorrow as already a case was filed with the police regarding the tree felling,” Virajpet DCF Sharanabasappa said, adding that a forgery case regarding tree felling is pending with the Kutta police and he is consulting legal experts to file a case.
