Group patrol system in place to check illegal felling of trees in Shimla forests

As many as 169 trees worth Rs 43.79 lakh were felled in Kalbog last month and at least 2,554 logs,measuring 100.93 cubic metres,were recovered from across the forest. The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has established the alleged connivance of a forest guard with locals in the felling of trees.

“The group patrol system has been proposed as a way out to break the nexus of forest guards,if any,and to check felling,” said a senior forest officer who is monitoring the Kalbog case,the first one where a forest guard’s involvement is evident.

Rattan Chand,the arrested guard,was allegedly involved in a similar case in Balson area of Shimla district in the past. But after his name was cleared in the case in December 2009,Rattan was posted to Kalbog the next month. After examination of the recovered wood,the forest department concluded that most of the timber found abandoned in Kalbog forests seemed to have been cut in the last two to three months.

During investigations,Rattan Chand had named two more forest employees in the case — Ranger,Kalbog,Giteshwar Singh,and another forest guard,Ratnari Mohan Lal.

While Ratnari was arrested earlier,Giteshwar was caught after he had evaded arrest for nearly a month. Both have been sent in police remand.