Following a thorough enquiry into alleged illegal felling of trees in forest land in Mirzapur and Siswan villages, the Punjab Forest Department on Wednesday claimed that the concerned areas don’t fall under the forests.
“The concerned areas have been included in the list of residential and agricultural areas notified as per Punjab land Preservation Act (PlPA), 1900, by the Union Forests and Environment Ministry,” said the spokesperson after the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests submitted his report following inquiry.
Spokesperson said that owners of the land in question have felled the trees out of the de-listed areas belonging to them after getting identification done in the presence of forest department officials from officials of the Revenue Department based on the record of the revenue department in accordance with the areas de-listed from PlPA by the State Government.
It was also made clear that the de-listed area of Mirzapur and Siswan doesn’t fall under jurisdiction of forest department; so, the trees were not felled from the areas notified under forest department or PlPA.
Spokesperson added that the Chief Conservator of Forests (Hills) conducts checks at regular intervals to ensure there is no illegal felling. Besides this, impartial probe is conducted on receipt of any complaint and action taken in accordance with the law.
Notably, the Forest Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot had taken a serious note about a news report published last week regarding illegal felling of trees falling under forest land and had ordered the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests to conduct a probe and submit a report.