Khair trees cover a major part of the woods in and around Chandigarh. The trees are significantly known for their medicinal properties. Their leaves, bark, and seeds are majorly used in manufacturing ayurvedic medicines. A single Khair tree costs between Rs 5000 to Rs 50,00 depending on the demand and quality of wood.
Theft of Khair trees in Chandigarh is one of the most common things that has kept the forest officers on their toes for a few years. Another case of robbery has come to light at two different places in Pinore near Panchkula, reports TOI.
While the forest officers have successfully caught hold of the thieves at one site, signs of tree felling have been noticed at the other. The thieves have axed around 15 Khair trees in the area.
Manjit Singh, sarpanch of Johluwal village filed a complaint of 10 stolen Khair trees with the police. Cops have registered a case under section 379 (punishment for theft) of the Indian Penal Code.
Gram panchayat of Nanakpur village of Pinjore complained about another theft to the police. They alleged that four unknown people axed 4 trees in the forest. Forest officer Joginder Singh caught one out of the four thieves red-handed with forest guards Sachin and Suresh, chowkidars Sanjeev Kumar and Gurwinder Singh. They found three Khair trees axed in the area. A case was registered against the thief Mukesh and his accomplices.
“Khair is a reserved category tree and its demand is high in the market for its multiple use. We have registered a case based on the complaint. The investigation is under progress,” inspector Mukesh Kumar told TOI.
We hope the thieves are soon caught and punished by the law!