Order Vigilance probe into tree felling, says HC

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday asked the State government what action it had taken against government officials who had facilitated the felling and removal of rosewood trees from private plantatio

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday asked the State government what action it had taken against government officials who had facilitated the felling and removal of rosewood trees from private plantations in Wayanad. Justice P. Gopinath also asked the government on what basis the village officer concerned had granted permission for felling trees. The court said that a Vigilance probe should be ordered against the officials responsible for granting the sanction and facilitating the cutting and removal of rosewood trees. The court made the oral observations when a writ petition filed by Lisamma Sebastian from Kasaragod seeking a directive to forest officials not to seize the teak wood trees felled from her property came up for hearing. According to her, one of the teak wood trees standing on her property was felled because it posed a threat to her house due to its old age. The Forest Range Officer, Kasaragod, had permitted the petitioner to remove the felled tree from her property. But, due to the outbreak of the second wave of the pandemic, the petitioner could not remove the tree at that time. However, to the utter dismay and shock of the petitioner, the range officer later informed the petitioner that the trees could not be removed from the site and that they would be confiscated by the Forest Department.