Allegations of illegal khair tree felling in the forest areas, allegedly carried out by misusing permissions issued for cutting trees on private land under the state Forest Department’s 10-year felling plan, have triggered concern across the region.
The issue came to the fore after the Criminal Investigation Agency (CIA) of the Nurpur police district seized seven vehicles carrying timber logs in the Fatehpur subdivision. The seizure has raised questions over alleged monitoring lapses by field-level Forest Department officials and the effectiveness of forest protection measures in the interstate border region, particularly in Nurpur district.
Local residents and environmental activists questioned how large quantities of timber were allegedly transported outside the state without valid documentation. They claimed that such activities point towards the possible presence of an organised network involved in illegal tree felling, timber processing and movement of logs to neighbouring states during night hours.
Durgesh Katoch, a local environmentalist who has been raising concerns over alleged forest destruction in the area for more than three years, said, “Forests under the Bhadroya forest range have become a hotspot for mafias, while the concerned department remains largely inactive.” He alleged the presence of an organised nexus involved in illegal forest activities in the interstate border district.
“The continuous disappearance of trees from the forest areas is adversely affecting biodiversity and could lead to a serious environmental crisis in the future,” Katoch said. He demanded a high-level inquiry into the alleged large-scale felling of trees reported over the past three years in lower Kangra district under the Nurpur forest division.
Without naming any individuals, local residents and social organisations said the possibility of a strong nexus involving a forest mafia operating in the Indora subdivision could not be ruled out. They claimed that illegal felling of valuable khair trees in forests under the Bhadroya range had reached alarming levels and stressed the need for better coordination between the Forest Department, the police and local communities to curb the practice.
According to local sources, the alleged illegal activities are concentrated in forest areas around Dagro, Malot, Damtal, Baleer, Ghodan, Lodwan, Tipri, Janera, Mehkad, Indpur, Ghandran and Malhari villages falling under the Bhadroya forest range.
Observers have pointed to the state Forest Department’s 10-year khair tree felling plan for private land as a factor that may have created opportunities for the alleged illegal cutting of trees from forest land as well as areas classified as “Khudro Drakhtan Malkiat Sarkar” (KDMS).
Under the KDMS provisions, naturally grown trees on privately owned or community land are legally considered the property of the state government, even though the land itself belongs to individuals or village communities.
Environmentalists have urged the government to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the alleged illegal felling and timber smuggling network, while calling for stronger monitoring mechanisms to protect the region’s rapidly depleting forest resources.
