Thiruchirapalli

It is said, the forest department had planted teak saplings along the Uyyankondan canal a few years back as a part of the afforestation programme and they have grown up now. However, recently, the department received complaints about the chopping of such trees by a few miscreants. Subsequently, the forest officials had a vigil over the trees. Meanwhile officials found that as many as 15 trees were chopped off from Cholanmadevi in Tiruverumbur to Keezhakurichi and they were searching for the miscreants who had been involved in the offence. On Saturday, based on a tip off, the forest officials led by Tiruchy forest Ranger Gunasekaran, secured three persons in connection with the case. They were later identified as Thiyagu (55), Dinesh (28) and Subramanian (42).

Upon interrogation, they had confessed that they had been involved in the offence for the past few years and had reportedly sold them timber merchants in Tiruchy, Thanjavur and Pudukkottai districts. Later, the DFO Sujatha conducted inquiry and levied a fine of Rs 1.20 lakh to the trio under Indian Forest Act.