A probe reveals that 169 trees were illegally felled in Jhajjar village

A district authorities’ committee’s investigation revealed that 169 trees in Siwana village, in this Beri subdivision, had been illegally felled.

The Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO), Beri, has instructed the sarpanch of Siwana village to deposit Rs 2,70,685 in the gram panchayat budget and establish 250 plants in the village area, taking into account the cost evaluation of the trees by the local office of the Forest Department. This was revealed in a report that was recently presented to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in this respect by the District Development and Panchayat Officer (DDPO). When villager Naresh Kumar brought up the matter with the NGT via a petition, it was decided to investigate the NGT’s orders.

Naresh had filed a complaint last year alleging that the local sarpanch had unlawfully chopped down 400 green trees in the area. In response to the allegation, the NGT requested that the district authorities conduct an investigation.

A committee led by the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board, which included the Assistant Environmental Engineer, Jhajjar, Tehsildar, Beri, and the Forest Range Officer, was constituted in January to examine the site and confirm the allegation. After visiting the location in February, the committee turned in its findings.

“The committee discovered that 169 trees had been chopped down in the hamlet during the site assessment. The District Forest Officer estimated the cost of trees at Rs 2,70,685 on March 15. The report said that the village sarpanch was then instructed to increase the amount of green cover in the village by planting 250 plants and putting the cost of the trees into the gram panchayat budget.

The SDM, Beri, also gave the then-BDPO, Beri, instructions in September 2023 to provide a thorough report on the village’s tree-cutting practices, according to the DDPO’s report. Subsequently, a FIR was filed in this respect against two locals, Rishi Raj and Mohit, by the then-BDPO.

The sarpanch has not yet paid the cost of the trees into the gram panchayat fund, according to Upma Arora, the DDPO for Jhajjar.

The gram sarpanch of Siwana, Suresh Kumar, said that he was unrelated to the matter since two other villagers were discovered to be engaged in tree-cutting. Additionally, a formal complaint had been filed against them.

The Sarpanch acknowledged that he had instructed both of the accused to deposit the money into the panchayat finances and acknowledged that the Panchayat Department had issued a notice against him for the deposition of Rs 2.70 lakh. “In order to improve the green cover, we have started sowing the plants in the village,” he said.

According to Social Education Panchayat Officer Satyavan, the sarpanch was given the notice to pay the tree’s cost since it was his job to safeguard the trees.