MP: Forest Department Under Fire As Illegal Logging Scandal Uncovered In Narmada Belt

Mandleshwar (Madhya Pradesh): The forest department is inadvertently undermining the central government's ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign. While the administration and local social organisations strive to plant trees, timber merchants have targeted the lush greenery of the Narmada belt, felling hundreds of trees for commercial purposes.

This would have gone unnoticed had vigilant villagers not alerted the forest department. The incident occurred in the nearby village of Pathrad, prompting the forest department to take action against the culprits. However, this action has ironically placed the department itself under scrutiny.

On July 31 at around 8:30 pm, the Mandleshwar forest range office received a tip-off about neem wood being transported in a tractor trolley from Pathrad on the Nandra road. Acting on this information, forest staff intercepted the vehicle at around 11:30 pm.

The driver failed to provide legal documentation for the wood, leading to the seizure of the tractor and its load. The neem wood, valued at Rs 13,725, and the tractor trolley (MP 46 A 2217), worth Rs 2 lakh, were taken to the government depot in Mandleshwar.

A forest offence was registered, and the accused, Makhan Singh, son of Vikram Singh Rathore from Musavada, district Dhar, was arrested and later released on bail. Meanwhile, villagers revealed that the accused had been cutting trees illegally for the past 5-6 years, transporting over 1,000 trolleys of wood during this period.

This recent action by the forest department is the first of its kind, raising doubts about the department's involvement. Allegations have surfaced that certain facts were withheld by the department, suggesting internal collusion in the illegal logging and transportation activities. Forest range officer Shilpi Jaiswal has remained silent, refusing to issue any statements or answer calls, further intensifying the controversy.