Recently, the Uttarakhand High Court, while hearing the PIL taking suo motu cognizance of the case of illegal felling of trees between Kaladhungi and Bazpur, has directed the DFO of the area to appear in the court personally on November 2 with the original register.

While commenting, the court said that the villagers are pushing around two quintals of wood on bicycles every day. How much wood is required for cooking each day? We have seen that several quintals of wood have been stored in front of every house in that area. Is this not exploitation of forests? Officials are not taking any action on this. Perhaps everyone will have cooking gas in their homes.

Further, the Court took suo motu cognizance of the illegal cutting of trees taking place in that area. To know the real status of the case, the DFO and other officers of the concerned area were summoned to the court.

The court asked the DFO several times to show the original record of how many challans the department has issued so far, but he could not show it.

Expressing displeasure on this, the court has asked him to appear in person in the court with the original records on November 2.

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