Shimla: Taking serious note of the illegal felling and smuggling of khair trees in the border district of Una, the Himachal Pradesh high court has observed that a well-organised inter-state crime network involving accused from Himachal Pradesh and Punjab appears to be operating in the region.The high court has directed the superintendent of police, Una, to file a detailed status report on the entire issue. The directions came from a division bench comprising Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Bipin Chander Negi during the resumed hearing on a public interest litigation (PIL) related to the depletion of forest cover in Una district.The bench also directed the forest department to file an affidavit explaining the difficulties in conducting a headcount and numbering of khair trees in the affected forest areas to prevent their illegal cutting and transportation.During the hearing, the amicus curiae referred to a letter dated Sept 15, 2025, written by the divisional forest officer, Una, to the superintendent of police seeking the constitution of a special investigation team (SIT) for probing the FIR registered on July 19, 2025, regarding the illegal felling of khair trees.The court also examined a report submitted by the secretary of the district legal services authority (DLSA), who conducted inspections at various sites in October 2025. However, the bench observed that the officer could not venture deep into the forests due to dense vegetation from heavy monsoon growth, rendering the report incomplete and inadequate to assess the actual extent of illegal felling. Therefore, the court directed the same officer to revisit the sites in mid-June and submit a fresh report.Earlier, the high court noted that the Una forest division’s location along the Himachal-Punjab border and its multiple exit routes made it vulnerable to timber smuggling. The forest department informed the court that 605 vehicles carrying timber without valid documents had been seized since April 1, 2022.The PIL was initiated based on representations submitted by Una residents alleging large-scale felling of khair trees and rapid depletion of forest cover in the district.MSID:: 130975732 413 |
