National Green Tribunal (NGT) has slapped a penalty of Rs 15 lakh on a former sarpanch and a gram sevak for felling 3,000 trees from the forest area of a village and has ordered the same to be deposited with the forest officer of the region in a month from the serving of the order.

Circuit bench of the NGT gave these orders in Jodhpur while hearing a petition moved by the villagers of the Taparwada gram panchayat of Nagaur district stating that the money recovered from this penalty would be used in afforestation of the affected area.

According to the petitioners' counsel Vishal Sharma, the then sarpanch, Jugal Kishore and the gram sevak had cut 3,000 trees in 2011 without any authority or seeking any permission to do so, which led a huge part of the village's forest land to be tree-less...........Read more

Source web page: Times of India