Amarpali: The forest department has filed a case against 40 people for damaging saplings and vandalizing the protective fence around plantation in Birmaharajpur area of Subarnapur district.
According to reports, the forest department had planted hundreds of saplings over 50 hectares of land at Bhaludunguri hill in Bhalpadar panchayat. Wired fencing was raised around the plantation.
However, over 50 people from the locality vandalised the fence and uprooted the saplings. However, it is not clear why they damaged the saplings.
Following the incident, Birmaharajpur range officer Abinash Bariha has filed a complaint at Subalaya police station.
The plantation project was inaugurated by Commerce and Transportation Minister Padmanabh Behera in the presence of Zilla Parishad chairperson Usha Kumari, sub-collector Ashok Kumar Bhoi, Subarnapur DFO Sushant Kumar Samantray.
In the complaint, it was said that over 40 people led by Jyotirmay Rath of Sonepur had damaged 4,800 saplings while 32,000 saplings were planted in the area. Besides, they had damaged 295 cement pillars that held the fencing.
IIC Rajendra Mandal said a case was registered against 40 people and investigation is underway.
PNN