Examiner Bureau | Srinagar:
No case of illegal tree felling has been reported in the Marh Assembly constituency during the past three years, while not a single village in the constituency was included in the Forest Department’s Khair felling programme during the period, the Jammu and Kashmir Government has informed the Legislative Assembly.
The disclosure was made by the Forest, Ecology and Environment Department in a written reply to an unstarred question raised by MLA Surinder Kumar.
According to the government, the Management Plan governing Khair trees growing on non-forest land provides for a 10-year, village-wise felling programme in the Jammu Forest Division. The plan for the latest cycle was completed in 2025-26.
However, no village falling within Marh constituency was included in the programme during 2023-24, 2024-25 or 2025-26. Consequently, the department said, no permission for Khair felling was issued in the constituency during these years.
Khair felling on non-forest land is regulated under the Jammu and Kashmir Non-Forest Land Khair Trees (Acacia catechu) Management Plan Rules, 2016. The framework provides for phased, regulated extraction based on a village-wise programme rather than unrestricted felling. The Forest Department has also begun preparatory work for the next 10-year management cycle, proposed to run from 2027-28 to 2036-37.
The government said a formal institutional mechanism is in place across Jammu and Kashmir to prevent and detect illegal felling and unauthorised removal of timber and other forest produce.
Forest field functionaries and Watch and Ward staff remain vigilant, it said, adding that no illegal felling case had been reported in Marh during the three-year period under review.
For other broad-leaved tree species, the department said transportation is regulated through the National Timber Transit Permit System (NTPS) Portal, in accordance with the applicable rules and procedures.
Where illegal felling or unauthorised extraction is detected, the government said, action is taken under the relevant forest laws. Such action includes seizure of forest produce and registration of forest offence cases wherever warranted.
Cases are also placed before the authorised officer — the concerned Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) — for initiation of confiscation proceedings, the department said.
The government’s response comes amid continuing efforts by the Forest Department to balance the economic interests of farmers growing Khair on private land with the need for sustainable management of the species.
Earlier this year, the department held awareness and assessment programmes with Khair-growing farmers in Jammu region as part of preparations for the next management plan. Farmers were asked to provide details of Khair trees on their private holdings to facilitate scientific assessment and village-wise planning.
The regulated nature of Khair felling has also led to legal and administrative disputes in the past. The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has dealt with cases concerning permissions for Khair felling on private land under the 2016 management rules, underscoring the importance of following the prescribed village-wise schedule and approval process.
For Marh, however, the government’s latest response records no reported illegal felling during the three-year period and no authorised Khair felling programme in any village of the constituency.
The department said its field machinery would continue to monitor forest areas and act against any unauthorised cutting or removal of forest produce in accordance with law.
