Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singhdeo walked into the dense forest to check on the tree planting efforts. He wanted to see how many trees the forest department had planted this year, and when he arrived, he was shocked by his findings.
Allegations of embezzlement in the tree plantation program in the Bubharja hilly forest of the Laramba section under the Patnagarh range of Balangir district led him to visit the site. He asked the DFO to show him where the trees had been planted this year. The DFO led the Deputy Chief Minister through the forest.
However, the Deputy Chief Minister noted that the forest department officials could not point out any areas in Bubharja forest where trees had been planted this year. He also questioned why the old forester remained in position despite the hiring of a new one.
Balangir DFO Sudarshan Behera said, “The Sir wanted to see whether we had planted trees in the Bubharja hills forest, and we showed him around.” After his inspection, the Deputy Chief Minister shared various suggestions based on his observations.