Not that the search for bodies of victims to the flash-floods caused by the cloudburst in Kullu district has been given up. But alongside, the district administration has started assessing the damage caused to the flora. While official figures put death toll at 22, the floods wreaked havoc on the flora on the embankments of the Pulia and Hulia Nullas. Countless number of tall Deaodar, Kail and Oak trees have been damaged over a radius of 20 kms, some twisted and others flattened.The Forest Department has swung into action to estimate the damage caused to timber, measuring every inch of the wood lost. District Forest Officer of the Parbati Forest Division V.K. Tiwari said: ‘‘The final report on the damage will be available within a few days. I do not want to hazard any guess on the loss of revenue. It would be known only after the report is in.’’He said forest guards and beat officers had been deployed in the affected zone to protect the damaged trees. ‘‘There is little possibility of big trees being swept into the Beas river. These could be seen struck on the banks of the Pulia Nalla,’’ he said. Once the damage is assessed, such trees would be taken out and handed over to the Forest Corporation.Tiwari denied that locals were attempting to cut the damaged trees and smuggle out wood. ‘‘We have deployed staff to foil any such attempt. The trees are so big that it is not possible to cut them without using machines,’’ he said, ruling out the possibility of organised groups indulging in smuggling. He, however, admitted that some dead wood might have been taken away by the locals.
