Illegal tree felling -- Forest guards seek probe

Illegal tree felling -- Forest guards seek probe
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NAGPUR, MARCH 8: The Maharashtra State Forest Guards and Promoted Foresters Union demanded a judicial inquiry into illegal tree felling worth over Rs 550 crore as alleged by BJP leader and former minister Shobha Fadnavis.

The union has threatened to launch an agitation if any action was initiated against the forest personnel without conducting a proper inquiry, its president Ajay Patil said on Tuesday.

"If the State Government fails to institute a judicial probe into the illegal smuggling of teak logs, the innocent forest employees will be made scapegoats," Patil said. He dismissed allegations by the Chandrapur legislator as "politically motivated" and "hypothetical".

Patil alleged that some contractors from adjoining districts of Andhra Pradesh were carrying out illegal activities thanks to the patronage of Naxals in the area.