Munish Sood
MANDI: The Himachal Pradesh government has ordered a CID probe into the large-scale accumulation of timber in the Pandoh Dam following the catastrophic flashfloods triggered by a cloudburst on June 24.
According to preliminary estimates, several thousand quintals of wood were swept downstream and collected in the reservoir, raising serious environmental, administrative and legal concerns.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, chairing a meeting of the State Disaster Management Authority in Shimla on Monday, directed a thorough investigation into the source and ownership of the timber.
The CID inquiry will assess whether the wood originated from government-managed forests or was the property of private individuals. More importantly, it will examine whether there was negligence, systemic failure, or collusion involved in the incident.
Viral memes prompt deeper questions
The situation gained national attention after visuals of the floating timber resembling scenes from the popular ‘Pushpa’ film went viral on social media, prompting both satire and concern. What began as a meme has now snowballed into a potential scandal, exposing possible lapses in forest governance and disaster preparedness.
Forest Corporation Claimed it was ‘useless wood’
Just two days after the incident, Forest Development Corporation Chairman Kehar Singh Khachi held a press conference in Mandi, stating that the timber was “useless wood” that had been deliberately left in the forests by the Forest Department. He claimed that transporting such wood to depots was economically unviable as transportation costs exceeded its market value.
Khachi was accompanied by senior forest officers from both Mandi and Kullu, and the explanation was accepted without further scrutiny at the time. However, the sudden shift in narrative and the decision to launch a CID probe ten days later has raised eyebrows.
With visuals showing massive piles of marketable timber floating in the dam — far more than mere waste wood — the government’s latest action signals growing concern over whether high-value forest resources may have been misappropriated or misclassified.
“This is not a routine matter. The scale of wood washed into the dam suggests a serious lapse, if not deliberate manipulation,” said a senior official on condition of anonymity. “We are looking at a potential case of environmental mismanagement, administrative negligence, or even illegal logging.”
Government promises transparency, fixing responsibility
The government, in its official communication, has assured strict monitoring of forest resources, especially during disasters, and has pledged to take departmental action against any official found guilty of dereliction of duty.
CM Sukhu, addressing the media, said, “There will be no compromise when it comes to safeguarding our forests. This CID probe will bring out the truth — whether this was a natural fallout or a deeper issue involving human negligence or exploitation.”
