HC directs officials to appear before it over felling of

Taking suo motu notice of reports regarding illegal felling of trees at Dharamsala, the Himachal Pradesh High Court today directed the concerned officials to appear before it in person tomorrow over alleged illegal felling green deodar tree at Dharamshala despite a ban. A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan, passed the order on a petition taken upsuo motuby the Court as Public Interest Litigation on a letter written to the Chief Justice by Ghazala Abdullah.
The petitioner alleged that a large number of Deodar trees are being felled in Mcleodganj in Dharamshala for commercial activities and when she approached the A.S.P., D.C., Municipal Council Dharamshala, Forest Department Dharamshala, Panchayat Pradhan andCID regarding the matter, no action was taken.

A committee of Revenue, Police, Municipal Council and forest officials was formed in Dharmshala to probe the allegations of illegal felling of Deodar trees in Dharmshala municipal area. During inspection, the committee found that a large number of trees were felled with or without the permission from the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Kangra.
Thecourt had also appointed amicus curaie to make verification and undertake spot visit regarding the alleged illegal felling of trees in Dharamshala.
Today, a news regarding felling of a green Deodar tree at Dharamshala appeared in a local paper and the court took a serious view of the same.

Intimation in this regard was also received in the registry of the High Court through email which was taken on record by the court.
The officials asked to be present in the Court tomorrow are the Secretary (Forest), the Deputy Commissioner, Kangra, the Chief Conservator of Forest, the Conservator of Forest, district Kangra,the Divisional Forest Officer, Kangra, the Superintendent of Police, Kangra, the S.P.CID, district Kangra, the Chairman of Municipal Council, Dharamshala, and SDM, Dharamshala.