Forest mafia in UTTARAKHAND say they can crush journalists if they come on their way of illegal business

The forest mafia in Uttarakhand is literally running its roost with no terror of laws and police. It has almost become a routine for them to allegedly cut as much as trees they intend to cut illegally with no fear of the stringent forest act, the forest department, local police and the state government.

They are not even afraid of the media, thinking that they have enough power and discreation to threaten, issue dire threats and if need be crush the journalists under their trucks carrying the illegal timber. One such incident of alleged threat of crushing the journalists under their truck carrying illegal timber was reported in Pauri Garhwal district just a few days ago when according to the shocking revelations of a local TV channel Jago Uttarakhand, the so called forest mafia literally threatened to crush the journalists under their trucks carrying illegal timber as the investigative scribes wanted to stop this illegal business of timber and were covering the story.

The chief minister of the state saw the live vedio on facebook issued by Jago Uttarakhand and assured the mediamen and the people of the state of initiating stern action against the forest mafia who’ve been caught on the camera and tape literally threatenting to allegedly crush the journalists under their truck.

The chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat looked too serious and furious on this count and said that he too personally saw the vedio on the social networking site and was shocked. He assured the mediamen of taking stern action against the culprits and ensuring that this illegal practice of wood smuggling and illegal felling of trees is stopped forthwith.

It may be recalled that Jago Uttarakhand and its energetic and fearless journalist Asutosh Negi has in the recent past as well, highlighted a similar case of illegal deforestation in the Lansedown area and has brought the matter to the knowledge of the state government resulting in immediate transfer of the erring senior forest officials and initiation of the desciplinery action against them. The local woman BJP leader had to get rid of her presidentship of the Kotdwar district. Sounds shocking, ironical and disastrous that in Uttarakhand the forest mafia is literally going out of hand and have no respect for the forest laws.

It seems that the forest department and the mafia are allegedly in league with each other thus causing tremendous harm to the environment and the state by cutting myriad amount of full grown trees. This story and the pictures are enough to prove home this point.

Sunil Negi, President, Uttarakhand Journalists Forum