Calling the ongoing cutting down of trees as unprecedented, locals have alleged that it is happening through collusion among political parties, forest officials and community forest officials. [break]
The logging has increased after the newly-posted DFO, Dhanichandra Thakuri, gave orders. Thakuri arrived here three months ago. The district forest office gave order to cut down 156,000 cubic feet of sal and pine, the locals said.
Everywhere, except in Jogbuda, pine trees are being felled down in large numbers in the district. This is also against the decision of an all-party committee. The District Development Committee had issued a three-year ban while District Council had issued a five-year ban on cutting down of trees in Dadeldhura.
“The DFO himself is escorting the wood to saw-mills,” a local said on condition of anonymity.
Thakuri was sent here by Forest Minister Deepak Bohara, under party recommendation.
The locals also informed that just a week ago, the forest users group in collaboration with contractors cut seven dozen healthy trees in Jogbuda.
The tree cutting is massive in Chure of Jogbuda and adjoining Laxmi, Siddhanath, Salleri, Saraswati, Bhagwati, Chure Jilmila, Jayalaxmi, Trishul, Tripura, Indrani, Yashodhara Baijanath, Sitaram and Til Mahila community forests.
In Chure, 13 new community forests were registered last month just to cut down trees. There are 405 community forests in Dadeldhura and 113 lease-hold forests. Another 50 community forests and 27 lease-hold forests are in registration process.
“We only got to know of new community forest registration after the contractors told us,” Jayasingh Dhami of Jogbuda said.
Last year, there were only 392 community forests and 50 lease-hold forests here.
The Kanchanpur based Mahakali saw-mill has exclusive contract for woods from Chure.
Stating that the trees have been cut as per Bohara´s instructions, Maoist central member, Khagaraj Bhatta, said, “It is sad that the forest minister and the DFO are going to finish the greenery here.”
DFO Thakuri, on the other hand, claimed that the trees are being cut as per an order issued before the government´s May 16 directive.
Chandrapur community forest chairman Keshav Bhattarai informed that trees are being cut at least three times more than the initial order.
The Federation of Community Users´ Group has informed that at least 70 percent sal trees from community forests in the inner-Madhes region have been butchered.
Asked to comment, Minister Bohara said, “It has not come to our notice if the trees are being cut illegally.”
He added, “There is no order given for tree cutting and the government is committed to save the greenery in the region.”
NRMC gives clearance
The parliamentary Natural Resources and Means Committee has asked the government to manage the already cut wood as per the law.
Based on the recommendations of the report presented by the committees´ team that visited various districts where logging was widespread, the committee cleared way for tree cutting in all but five districts.
Forest Minister Deepak Bohara said that those who have paid and cleared legal procedure will be allowed to do the needful with the wood cut so far.
The committee had last month directed the government to halt cutting down of trees throughout the country.
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