Kalutara: The Agalawatta Forest Range Office has been handicapped due to three unfilled field officer vacancies.

Due to the vacancies not being filled, felling of trees in certain areas of the forest continues unabated.

Forest Department sources said vacancies exist for a beat-officer at Mahagama and two assistant field officers at ‘Molkawa’ and ‘Kelinkanda’.

The source revealed that there are thousands of trees in these areas of the forest reservation in Agalawatta and due to there being nobody to patrol these areas, illegal timber felling is rampant.

The residents of the area have requested the Department of Forest Reservation to fill the vacancies early to protect the trees in the government forest reservation areas.