Villagers form committee, impose fine on smugglers to save Jharkhand forests

RANCHI—Villagers from Jharkhand state have imposed a fine of Rs1,000 on persons cutting trees from a local forest in a bid to save jungles.

The rare initiative was launched by villagers from Suggakanta village in Gumla district after they found the residents felling trees and destroying green cover.

The village also formed a “Forest Protection Committee” to keep check on gangs sneaking inside the jungle and cutting trees from the Suggakanta jungle spread over in some 400 acres.

“We are fully dependent on jungle for our survival and hence we have initiated step on our own to protect the forests. We have imposed ban on entry of smugglers to the forest and cutting trees,” Forest Protection Committee secretary Virendra Nageshia told the local media.

Villagers said the forests have variety of costly trees, such as Sal tree, Kusum, Pakad and variety of fruit-bearing trees.