KOCHI: The vigilance team of the Forest department which probed the illegal tree felling at the Sugandhagiri Cardamom project area has recommended action against 18 officials including Wayanad South Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) A Shajna. A high level meeting chaired by Forest minister A K Saseendran had constituted a four-member special investigation team of the vigilance wing to probe the illegal tree felling on April 2.
Based on the investigation team's report, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Vigilance) recommended action against 18 department officials including Wayanad South DFO A Shajna, Kalpetta range officer K Neethu, flying squad range officer K Sajeevan, Section forest officer K K Chandran, Beerankutty, seven beat forest officers and six forest watchers.
"There has been serious dereliction of duty by forest officers who failed to conduct a field inspection and initiate action even after registering two cases in connection with the Sugandhagiri illegal tree felling case. I have instructed the additional chief secretary (Forest) to initiate immediate action against the people found guilty," said forest minister A K Saseendran.
Sugandhagiri Cardamom project was implemented in 1977 to rehabilitate 260 tribal families who were bonded labourers working in farm lands. The state government had abolished bonded labour in 1975. The forest department had granted permission to cut down 20 trees that were posing threat to the houses of the tribals in January 2024. However, misusing the permission, around 126 trees were cut down over a period of two months.
The forest department had booked a case and seized the timber on information about the illegal tree felling. The investigation team had booked cases against six persons and arrested timber traders M K Prince of Kaniyampatta, Abu Tahir of Vythiri and Sudheer Kumar of Kozhikode.