VBA seeks action against forest officials over felling of thousands of trees in Shevgaon

A serious case of illegal felling of thousands of trees has come to light in Shevgaon taluka of Ahilyanagar district. A memorandum was submitted to the District Collector and District Conservator of Forests Dharmaveer Salvitthal under the leadership of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi district president Yogesh Sathe. Its main demand is that a case of culpable homicide be registered against the forest officials found guilty and that they be suspended from service.

The memorandum says the entire state and Ahilyanagar district are currently battling severe drought, rising temperatures and an acute water shortage. In such fragile conditions, the indiscriminate felling of green trees that protect nature, and the deliberate turning of a blind eye by the responsible government departments, is highly suspicious and condemnable, it alleges.

Though keeping records of the Shevgaon area, inspecting sites, and monitoring and protecting them were their primary responsibility, the officials whose roles have been questioned for serious lapses in duty are: Range Forest Officer Milind Govekar, Forester Sandeepkumar Ekshinge, flying squad Forester Sachin Shinde, Forest Guard Balkrishna Bade, flying squad Forest Guard Arjun Khedkar, Forest Guard Sagar Salve and Forest Guard Vijay Pavle. It is alleged that thousands of trees were cut and a large illegal stock of timber was accumulated in several timber depots in Shevgaon with the collusion of forest guards and foresters.

According to the memorandum, more than 10 days have passed since the incident came to light, yet the Forest Department has taken no concrete administrative or legal action against the guilty. It says felling, transport and storage of timber on such a scale would not be possible without the protection of local forest staff.

Amid the Shevgaon scandal, reports are also coming in of similar tree felling in the Bhimashankar sanctuary area, which is considered highly sensitive in the state. The memorandum demands an official clarification from the administration on this.

The memorandum states clearly that a culpable homicide case should be registered against all the guilty forest officials for destroying the environment and endangering people's lives, that they should be suspended from government service, and that the timber mafia, sawmill owners and main masterminds behind it should be exposed. It warned that if the administration does not take immediate note of this serious matter and act firmly, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi will launch a statewide agitation in a democratic manner.