Harichandanpur: Even as the government spends crores of rupees on afforestation and forest protection in Keonjhar district, tribals and timber mafia are looting forests in Harichandanpur block with the department doing precious little to check it.
According to reports, rampant tree felling continues in Kuladhankuni forests in Pithagola panchayat. The areas fall under the Keonjhar DFO.
Tribals living in the area fell scores of valuable trees like sal, piashal, mahula and harida in the hill close to the village to make space for cultivable land. Though this has been happening for years, forest officials are allegedly sitting pretty. Consequently, the forest cover is vanishing in patches.
Locals observed that the government made efforts to generate new forests and spent crores of rupees for the purpose. Even crores are spent to raise saplings. However, all these efforts go waste when forests are ruined like this, they rued.
Although a forest office is near the village, no official stays there. Taking advantaging of his absence, some people cut down trees in the forest,” the locals lamented.
Others alleged that when forest officials caught someone with timber, immediate action is taken against him and the timber is seized, but no action is taken against people who cut down hundreds of valuable trees in the forest.
They noted that if tree cutting goes on like this, it will not take long before the forest vanishes.
Locals demanded that the forest department take measures to check deforestation and exemplary action is taken on the guilty. PNN