GAIGHAT, SEPTEMBER 6

Two chairmen of two Community Forest Consumers Group were arrested from Triyuga Municipality in Udayapur yesterday.

The arrested have been identified as Mohan Bahadur Karki of Khatmandir Community Forest and Gane Bahadur Tamang of Raktamala Community Forest of Triyuga Municipality.

Chief at District Forest Office, Udayapur, Ambika Poudel said the duo had given verbal order to cut down saal trees in the community forests. Poudel said as many as eighty trees were felled in the respective forests by taking advantage of the lockdown.

Another Chairman Lil Bahadur Tamang of Namobuddha Tole Development Organisation was also arrested for giving order to fell trees.

Community forest groups have cut down trees without taking permission from the authority concerned in the name of electrification in the municipality.

Information Officer at Forest Office Jageshwor Sah said locals had cut down the trees in August following orders from the chairmen.

He said locals had taken the timber to their houses.

Sah added that a forest staff team seized the felled trees from locals. “Trees worth Rs ten lakh were destroyed,” he added. Sah informed that further investigation was under way and action would be taken against the arrested.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on September 7, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.