Forest Dept. officers take exception to remarks of KBD chairman

He had said large-scale tree cutting was taking place owing to lockdown

Forest Department officers of Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga districts have taken exception to Karnataka Biodiversity Board (KBD) chairman Anant Hegde Ashisara’s recent statement that the illegal cutting of trees had gone up in forest areas during the lockdown. The officers have written to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests refuting the remarks. Mr. Ashisara, in a press release recently, said that he had received complaints suggesting large-scale cutting in Vagarerahalli in the Kadur range. He had stated forest vegetation on 480 acres had been lost.