Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Dec 4: Forest department today ordered an inquiry into the alleged involvement of three of its employees in the illegal cutting of green trees near the protection office at Dedikoote area of North Kashmir’s Kupwara district.
After specific inputs, Police last evening detained three employees of the Forest Protection Force (FPF) at Dedikoote while allegedly cutting green Deodar trees within the forest area near the protection office. The have been identified as Altaf Ahmad Bhat son of Ghulam Ahmad Bhat a resident of Gushi, Mohammad Amin Mir son of Abdul Khaliq Mir a resident of Mughalpora, and Adil Jeelani son of Ghulam Jeelani a resident of Drugmulla.
Besides three employees, a labourer was also apprehended along with them and 8 logs were recovered from the spot.
“We have handed over all the three employees to the concerned Forest Range Officer and written to their conservator regarding the same and as to what they were doing with those short logs and whether their purpose within the forest premise was legal or not and accordingly police will take further course of action depending”, a police official told Excelsior.
“So far no case has been registered in this regard against three employees and the laborer since the reply is expected in two days from the conservator forest department”, he said. “If we require them in the future in case an FIR is registered, the concerned Range Officer will be responsible for handing over them to the police”.
All the three employees have been suspended and a departmental inquiry has been initiated in this regard which will be completed within three days by two Divisional Forest Officer’s (DFO’s).
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