Government Forests Destroyed, Now Private Sal and Teak Trees Targeted in Nagichhara : Public Anger Grows Over Alleged Inaction

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, October 7, 2026

Located just a short distance from Agartala city, the Nagichhara area under Dukli Block is facing growing concern over the alleged destruction and theft of forest resources. After extensive allegations of illegal cutting of government forest trees, including bamboo, sal and teak, local residents now fear that privately owned sal and teak plantations have become the latest target of alleged forest theft.

The alleged cutting of around 60–70 teak trees from a privately owned plantation at Nagichhara Partha Colony has intensified anger among local residents and the plantation owner, Siddhartha Das. According to Das, the trees were allegedly cut and removed during the night, despite the plantation being located within approximately 100 metres of a Forest Beat Office and a Forest Department nursery.

Residents are questioning how such a large number of valuable teak trees could allegedly be felled and transported repeatedly at night from an area so close to a Forest Department establishment. They have alleged that the presence of a nearby Forest office has failed to prevent the alleged theft of forest resources and have demanded an explanation from the concerned authorities.

Local residents further allege that government bamboo plantations, as well as sal and teak forests in the surrounding areas, had already suffered extensive tree cutting. They now fear that the alleged destruction of government forest resources has emboldened those involved in forest-product theft to target privately owned plantations as well.

The allegations have also triggered growing criticism of the Forest Department's monitoring system. Some residents have alleged that forest officials have failed to maintain adequate surveillance and night-time protection in the area. A section of residents has even raised allegations of possible involvement of some local Forest Department personnel in the alleged theft of forest resources. These allegations have not been independently established and require a proper investigation by the competent authorities.

Questions have also been raised over the functioning of a Forest Department nursery in the locality. Residents allege that substantial government funds are spent on the nursery every year, while the availability of fruit-bearing plants, bamboo and other saplings for local people remains inadequate. They have demanded regular inspection of the nursery by senior Forest Department officials and greater transparency regarding its expenditure and functioning.

The issue has also brought the role of the police under scrutiny. The area falls under Sreenagar Police Station, but residents allege that regular police patrolling, particularly at night, is rarely visible. With allegations of both land-related activities and forest-product theft emerging from the roadside locality, residents say the absence of effective surveillance has created a sense of insecurity.

The concerns are particularly significant because Nagichhara and its adjoining areas are located close to Agartala and possess considerable land and development potential. Residents claim that hundreds of acres of land remain unused, while concerns over alleged land-related activities and forest-resource theft are discouraging people from investing in plantation, forestry and other industrial activities.

Residents are therefore demanding coordinated action by the Forest Department, police and district administration to identify those responsible for the alleged illegal felling, recover illegally removed timber wherever possible and strengthen regular patrolling and forest protection mechanisms.

The alleged targeting of privately owned sal and teak trees has become a matter of particular concern for plantation owners. They fear that unless effective preventive measures are taken, valuable private forest resources could increasingly become vulnerable to organised theft.

The growing public anger in Nagichhara is therefore no longer limited to the alleged loss of individual trees. It has evolved into a broader demand for accountability, protection of forest resources and effective enforcement of the law. Residents want the authorities to establish how government forests were allegedly damaged over the years and, now that privately owned plantations are reportedly being targeted, what concrete measures are being taken to prevent further theft.

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