The Indian Express: Bangalore: Wednesday, 26 April 2023.
Official documents of the Karnataka Forest Department show that tree officers, who are entrusted with the duty to protect trees, of the Karnataka Forest Department in Virajpet, Hassan and Chikkamagaluru districts have given permission to fell a large number of trees on private lands since 2015.
In response to an RTI filed by The Indian Express, the state forest department said that in Chikkamagaluru, 622 trees have been felled on private lands since 2015. The forest department had booked 25 cases in the same period for the felling of trees without the department’s nod.
Documents of the Virajpet forest division showed that in January 2020, the department gave permission to cut 2,250 trees on private lands. In January this year, 224 trees were permitted to be axed on private lands in Hassan district.
When asked, senior forest officers admitted that often permission to fell trees is given illegally to create ways for easy transportation of forest produce or to sell wood.
An official of the forest department said on condition of anonymity, “Sometimes forest officers fail to register FIRs in case of violations. Every division maintains a register in which details like the owner of the land, survey numbers, number of trees to be felled among all are recorded. While there are stringent rules in place against felling of trees on private lands, forest officers sometimes collude with the timber mafia and revenue department officials and allow the felling of trees and transit of forest produce illegally.”
The Karnataka Forest Department on its website has mentioned that permission of felling of trees on private lands is given as per the provisions of the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act, 1976. “The forest department provides this public service after obtaining information from the Revenue Department about the ownership of the tree/trees. The tree officer, who after inspecting the tree/trees and holding such enquiry as he deems necessary, may either accord permission in whole or part or refuse it,” a section on the website reads.
The department also issues permission for transportation of forest produce from private lands and an applicant has to get tree felling permission before applying for a transit permission. A Forest Officer after inspecting the land and forest produce and holding such enquiry as he deems necessary, may either accord permission or refuse it. After the transit permission is accorded, the jurisdictional Deputy Range Forest Officer (DRFO) issues transit permits (Form-28) for movement of forest produce to the destination as indicated by the applicant.
Recently, former principal chief conservator of forest (head of forest force) B K Singh in his book ‘Changing Land Uses Shrinking Streams and Carbon Sinks’ has highlighted how trees on private lands were felled in the Western Ghat region in the early 1990s.
“Besides the large-scale felling of trees, smaller incidents involving the smuggling of a few trees have also been recorded. Many incidents are not put on record and many cases are not booked, as senior officers do not take up the routine perambulation of forests and, consequently, frontline staff members also do not patrol the jungles,” Singh said.
Official documents of the Karnataka Forest Department show that tree officers, who are entrusted with the duty to protect trees, of the Karnataka Forest Department in Virajpet, Hassan and Chikkamagaluru districts have given permission to fell a large number of trees on private lands since 2015.
In response to an RTI filed by The Indian Express, the state forest department said that in Chikkamagaluru, 622 trees have been felled on private lands since 2015. The forest department had booked 25 cases in the same period for the felling of trees without the department’s nod.
Documents of the Virajpet forest division showed that in January 2020, the department gave permission to cut 2,250 trees on private lands. In January this year, 224 trees were permitted to be axed on private lands in Hassan district.
When asked, senior forest officers admitted that often permission to fell trees is given illegally to create ways for easy transportation of forest produce or to sell wood.
An official of the forest department said on condition of anonymity, “Sometimes forest officers fail to register FIRs in case of violations. Every division maintains a register in which details like the owner of the land, survey numbers, number of trees to be felled among all are recorded. While there are stringent rules in place against felling of trees on private lands, forest officers sometimes collude with the timber mafia and revenue department officials and allow the felling of trees and transit of forest produce illegally.”
The Karnataka Forest Department on its website has mentioned that permission of felling of trees on private lands is given as per the provisions of the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act, 1976. “The forest department provides this public service after obtaining information from the Revenue Department about the ownership of the tree/trees. The tree officer, who after inspecting the tree/trees and holding such enquiry as he deems necessary, may either accord permission in whole or part or refuse it,” a section on the website reads.
The department also issues permission for transportation of forest produce from private lands and an applicant has to get tree felling permission before applying for a transit permission. A Forest Officer after inspecting the land and forest produce and holding such enquiry as he deems necessary, may either accord permission or refuse it. After the transit permission is accorded, the jurisdictional Deputy Range Forest Officer (DRFO) issues transit permits (Form-28) for movement of forest produce to the destination as indicated by the applicant.
Recently, former principal chief conservator of forest (head of forest force) B K Singh in his book ‘Changing Land Uses Shrinking Streams and Carbon Sinks’ has highlighted how trees on private lands were felled in the Western Ghat region in the early 1990s.
“Besides the large-scale felling of trees, smaller incidents involving the smuggling of a few trees have also been recorded. Many incidents are not put on record and many cases are not booked, as senior officers do not take up the routine perambulation of forests and, consequently, frontline staff members also do not patrol the jungles,” Singh said.
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