Acting on a complaint received on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s portal, IG, Lucknow Range, Lakshmi Singh, conducted a raid in Lakhimpur Kheri and suspended three cops, including a police outpost incharge, after finding trees were cut illegally under their jurisdiction.
She also got a case registered in the matter against the local police and forest officials and sent a report for further action after fixing the responsibility of the officials concerned. Surprisingly, the local superintendent of police as well as district forest officers were aware of the illegal cutting of trees after which the Chief Minister’s Office was informed about it and subsequently directions were passed to Singh for stern action.
Sources said that Lakshmi Singh was camping in Kheri as nodal officer to manage the ongoing farmers’ protest when she was tipped-off about a complaint received on the CM’s portal.
A social activist. Ritu Verma, claimed that some miscreants were illegally cutting green trees in Bajpai hamlet in Kheri without taking any permission and that she had informed the local authorities, including SP Kheri and DFO Kheri, about it at least half-a-dozen times but no one took pain to respond to her complaint.
Sources further said that Verma’s complaint was forwarded to Lakshmi Singh for necessary action.
Singh, after completing discussion with the officials in Kheri on how to handle the ongoing farmers’ agitation, suddenly left the venue on Monday night and raided the place at Bajpai hamlet to confirm the allegations. She was surprised that the trees were cut freely in the area and no action had been taken by the local authorities.
She immediately summoned force and got all the felled trees seized and later got a case registered against half-a-dozen officials, including former gram pradhan who was allegedly involved in cutting of trees.
She also suspended incharge of the LRP police outpost and two beat constables and ordered a departmental probe to bring the culprits to book.