The villagers demonstrate on Monday. (Kundan Yolmo)

Siliguri, April 28: Residents of Taipu-Dohra forest village and the Bengal forest department are locked in a row over the felling of trees in the Taipu forest and trading of non-timber produces from there.

Led by the National Forum of Forest People and Forest Workers, over 150 villagers of Taipu-Dohra and its nearby areas have shut down a state-run timber depot, about 40km from here in the Kurseong forest division, since Thursday.

“We protest against the way the department is felling trees and selling timber without paying us the stipulated portion of the sale proceeds according to the forest rights act,” said Gopal Chhetri, one of the villagers. “The department is also infringing on our rights on the non-timber forest products, thereby violating the act.”

The basis of their agitation is the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, which calls for formation of forest village committees empowered with the control of felling and trading of forest produces in the village area.

The protesters have been joined by residents of other forest villages like Kalabari, Kataria, Bamanpokhri, Khairani, Chamta, Khoklung and Chumukdangi — all within the Kurseong forest division. They said the act is yet to be implemented in their area.

“Not a single gram sabha or village-level committee has been set up in accordance with the act,” said Indra Bahadur Chhetri, who hails from Chumukdangi. “We also find timber mafias, in connivance with a section of corrupt foresters, are illegally felling trees on a regular basis. This should be stopped.”

Shi Sunuwar, the convener of the north Bengal regional committee of the forum, said the forest department should award its tenders for various projects to forest dwellers to help improve their lives.