MANDI, PRENEETA SHARMA
The wife of Congress MLA Chander Shekhar, who represents Dharampur in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, Kavita Shekhar, is dealing with escalating legal issues related to a significant illegal logging case.
Thousands of quintals of timber were unlawfully dumped at a location leased by Bahri Renewable Energy Company, where Kavita Shekhar is a director, following alleged extensive felling, according to a recent probe by the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department.
No formal authorization was given to transport or store timber at the company’s disposal sites, according to the investigative report that was presented to senior forest officials. Three formal notices about the issue from the Forest Department have gone unanswered by Kavita Shekhar.
The report fails to identify the individuals responsible for the unlawful deforestation, despite much public indignation, assembly deliberations, and Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s promise of a high-level investigation. Senior forest officials are now essentially in charge of taking further action because, despite the investigative committee’s submission of its findings, it has not suggested filing any FIRs.
Massive felling took place during the Forest Department’s investigation into the illicit timber stockpiles in the MLA’s hometown of Bahri village. 507 quintals of the 5,235 quintals of timber that the authorities found were from prohibited tree species.
Banyan, Tun, Kachnar, Badare, Umre, Mango, Jamun, Kaith, Blodhar, Khasre, Japanese Mulberry, and Gavan are among the protected species found in the confiscated timber. Additionally, more than 1,300 quintals of Simbal and Siris were discovered.
After former district councillor Bhupendra Singh initiated an RTI inquiry, these revelations came to light.
The article claims that the entire stockpile was disposed of on property that Kavita Shekhar owns and leases from Bahri Renewable Energy Company.
Investigators discovered that Babu Ram of Khelag-Longni and Hukum Chand of Dharampur were in charge of smuggling the timber without authorization. According to reports, both have acknowledged their involvement.
Remarkably, on November 27, 2024, the business submitted an application for a temporary firewood depot license; however, it has not yet been approved. Nevertheless, a huge amount of timber waste was discovered at the site.
Surendra Kumar, the head of Saklana Gram panchayat, filed a complaint on December 22, 2024, which prompted the start of the investigation. Both the Assembly and the Himachal Pradesh High Court later took up the matter after it quickly attracted media attention.
On December 24, 2024, the Forest Department formally opened an investigation in response to the commotion. Ashwani Kumar, an ACF from Jogindernagar, served as the head of the seven-person investigating committee.
The committee turned in a five-page report with 15 main issues on March 10, 2025. Rahul, a local resident and the son of Jagdish Chand, testified during the investigation that Bahri Renewable Energy Company owned the timber stock.
Important conclusions in the report on the investigation
• Permits to cut trees on private property were given to 20 people, enabling them to transport 4,708 quintals of lumber. 1,314 quintals are still on site; however, only 3,393 quintals were formally documented as moved.
• Despite the fact that no one was permitted to deliver lumber to the Bahri Renewable Energy Company’s location, a sizable stockpile was discovered there.
• The Dharampur Forest Range Officer acknowledged that 1,842 quintals of excess timber were discovered at the site, above the allowed amount; the Forest Department has filed damage complaints against 53 people who unlawfully chopped prohibited tree species without authorization. The excess timber has been seized.
In the face of mounting allegations of cooperation between powerful individuals and forest officials, former district councillor Bhupendra Singh.
Amidst mounting accusations of cooperation between powerful individuals and forest officials, former district councillor Bhupendra Singh has called for the government to be held accountable. He wants to know if officials who did not stop the unlawful deforestation will face disciplinary action. The Jogindernagar DFO, however, has avoided accountability by claiming that decisions will be made by higher authorities. Additional concerns over the scope of the illicit activities have been raised by Bhupendra Singh’s claims that a sizable quantity of lumber was covertly removed at night, probably destroying any proof.
