BJP MLAs meet HP Governor, demand forest minister's dismissal

A delegation of BJP MLAs today met Himachal Pradesh Governor Acharya Devvrat and demanded the dismissal of state forest minister Thakar Singh Bharmauri alleging that he was "shielding" forest mafia.
Led by Leader of Opposition P K Dhumal, the BJP MLAs apprised the Governor about "large scale illicit felling" of trees in Chamba's Almi area in November-December, 2014 and accused Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh of shielding Bharmauri and trying to put the blame on the previous BJP government.
Alleging that 1,807 of 1,843 trees were felled illegally in Chamba, the delegation told Devvrat that several instances of illicit felling of trees had come to notice after the present government came to power.

BJP had first raised the issue in the state assembly's winter session, following which a three-member committee was constituted to enquire into the matter by the state government. The team visited the area in June 2015 and submitted its report in July.