RAUTAHAT, May 6: Widespread deforestation has been reported in the Gaindatar area of Chandrapur Municipality, Rautahat, allegedly carried out with the direct involvement of the local forest office.
Activists have accused Hemant Prasad Sah, the chief divisional forest officer of Rautahat, of facilitating the illegal felling of trees across more than five bighas of forest land over the past month.
Sunil Kumar Yadav, national coordinator of the Forest Conservation Campaign Nepal, claims that thousands of trees have been cut down with the full knowledge and cooperation of the forest office. He alleges that tree felling began weeks ago in the Gaindatar forest and that new tree plantations were carried out afterward in an attempt to cover up the deforestation.
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“The forest office, forest mafias and the ministry are all complicit in this cover-up,” said Yadav, accusing the Ministry of Forests in Madhes Province of ignoring the situation despite being informed.
According to Yadav, this is not the first time Officer Sah has been linked to such activities. He previously faced suspension during his tenure in Mahottari for clearing large areas of forest. After reinstatement, he is once again allegedly involved in similar acts.
Yadav also claimed that small-scale loggers have been transporting logs by bicycle, paying forest personnel between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500 per load, further indicating systemic corruption. In some areas, logs were reportedly hidden under soil and leaves, and maize was planted on cleared forest land.
He demanded an independent investigation into the matter, warning that such continued destruction could have serious environmental consequences.
Despite these serious allegations, neither the forest office nor the provincial ministry has responded publicly.
