Illegal felling of 32 Deodar trees in Chopal leads to FIR
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Illegal felling of 32 Deodar trees in Chopal leads to FIR
Shimla, June 23
In an incident, 32 high-value Deodar timber trees were illegally felled in the forests of Chopal, Shimla district. A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed, treating the act as a crime.
The FIR was lodged on June 22, 2023, under Section 379 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 32 and 33 of the Indian Forest Act. The statement was given by Ajane Purshottam Thakur, the Range Officer of Forest Range Sarain, Mandal Chaupal, Shimla.
Thakur received information from the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Chopal on June 21, 2023, about the illegal felling of trees in the Cheuna compartment of Kuhal beat. Accompanied by his staff, Thakur visited the location and discovered the unauthorized cutting of Deodar and Kayal trees.
Interestingly, six days before the FIR was filed, a request was received from Surendra Pradhan of Gram Panchayat Lingjar, as well as Rinku, the son of the late Sh. Shivram and Narendra Late. The residents of Kanshi Ram village had expressed their desire to construct a cricket ground in Cheuna, located in Bhatna village, Post Office Sarain, Tehsil Chaupal.
The individuals involved in this construction project are suspected to be responsible for the tree felling, leading to the registration of the case.
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