Haryana forest officials seized a tractor-trolley loaded with illegally felled sheesham timber at Hansi early on Monday after a pursuit of about 100 kilometres that began in the Pataudi area, officials said. The vehicle was stopped at around 2 am with the help of forest officials from Hisar, and two people were taken into custody for questioning.
Source: Mirror Now
Gurugram Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Surender Dangi said the department acted on intelligence about unauthorised tree felling in the Pataudi region and that the chase was a coordinated effort across districts. The Times of India also reported the seizure, describing it as the Gurugram forest department's operation after the 100 km chase.
Logs seized, confiscation process begins
On inspection, officials found the trolley loaded with sheesham — Indian rosewood — trunks and logs of different sizes tied down with ropes. The forest department has seized the tractor-trolley and started the formal confiscation process. According to Dangi, a forest offence report is being prepared and a memo will be placed before the district court once the preliminary inquiry is complete.
The two men held in the operation are being questioned, and officials said further legal steps will follow the inquiry. Sheesham is a high-value hardwood, and illegal felling and transport of the timber is treated as a forest offence.
Haryana is drafting a Preservation of Trees Act, 2026 to close gaps in the law on felling trees on non-forest land. Mirror Now noted that Forest Survey of India data for 2021 identified Gurugram as the district with the highest loss of forest cover in the state between 2019 and 2020, driven by road widening and construction.