Telkoi: Locals alleged that hundreds of sal trees were felled by the forest department during construction of road under MGNREGS at Talapda in Telkoi block in Keonjhar district.
A four kilometer long road is being laid from Talapada panchayat to Badakhaman under this scheme.
Villagers said they are facing fuel problem due to non-availability of firewood while the forest department is destroying hundreds of trees in the name of road construction.
Sarapanch Sambari Nayak said the forest department was not allowing the panchayati raj department to construct road by felling trees. But in this case the department itself has been chopping off trees, Nayak added.
Villagers alleged the department earns a lot of money by selling the precious trees.