Complaint lodged against felling of matured trees in zoo premises

ROING, 14 Dec: A complaint has been lodged with Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) regarding alleged logging and felling of matured trees inside the Roing Mini Zoo in Lower Dibang Valley district.

As per the complaint lodged by one Jibi Pulu, matured hollock trees inside the zoo have been felled on the pretext of topping and pruning under the supervision of the zoo in-charge. .

The felled timbers are being disposed of at a negotiated price, the complainant said, adding that two pickup trucks full with timber have so far been disposed of.

An official letter issued to a forest guard asking him to monitor the tree pruning and topping activities by the Range Forest Officer (RFO) of Mehao Wildlife Range, Roing suggests that the Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary DFO had instructed the RFO to remove only ‘harmful, crooked and dead trees’ in the zoo premises, the complainant said providing a copy of the letter.

The complainant urged the PCCF to look into the matter seriously.