Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Amit Mallik on Wednesday suspended six Forest Department officials in connection with mass felling of trees from a vested forest land at Pambra, near Irulam, under the South Wayanad forest division.
P. Salim, deputy forest range officer, Chethalayath forest range; N.R. Ramesan, deputy forest range officer; E.M. Suresh Babu, section forest officer; K.M. Shinoj, K. Anoop Kumar, and K.V. Manoj ,beat forest officers, Irulam forest station, were suspended in connection with the mass felling of trees.
Dr. Mallik said in his order that the forest flying squad, Kalpetta, had registered a case on 18 June in connection with tree felling and handed over the case to the officials of the Irulam forest station for further inquiry. But the department personnel failed to discharge their duties properly. “The alleged laxity of the officials caused the massive tree felling and they failed to protect the interests of the government,” Dr. Mallik said. Moreover, the incident might weaken the claims of the government in a case related to vesting of forest land before the forest tribunal, he added. Officials on Thursday arrested three persons, including the manager and two workers of a coffee plantation, for mass felling of trees from the land taken over by the department last year.