Dehradun: The Uttarakhand forest department is mulling action against the makers of a Hindi flick which was recently shot in Khalanga forest area, but its crew allegedly left the venue without clearing the shooting site. A pile of debris and a raised platform was still lying intact in the forest area.

Surprisingly, officials in the forest department said that there was no guideline for the shooting of films in Uttarakhand forests.

“On one of our heritage walks through Khalanga forest in Raipur, we noticed debris on the otherwise pristine site. On close examination we found that it was a film set,” said Lokesh Ohri, a Dehradun-based heritage activist.

“The set was abandoned a few days ago, and the area is in a shambles now. Garbage is strewn all over,” he said, adding that the set has now become a resort for drunkards.

Incidentally, the area is also the site of historic Khalanga war, which was fought between the British and the Gorkha armies in 1816.

When contacted, the head of forest force, Jai Raj, said: “Action will be taken against the offenders for not clearing the area.”

Raj also said that there was no set guideline for film shootings in the state forests.

Anup Kaul, a Dehradun resident who acted in the film, denied having any knowledge about the debris left behind in the forest. He said that the shooting was finished in the forest around four months ago.

On the other hand, unlike the state, Forest Research Institute (FRI) has laid down norms for shooting of films in its premises.

Registrar of FRI, Neelima Shah, said, “The film crew are told not to harm any property of FRI. They have to shoot within the area permitted and within the given timing which is 10Am to 5 PM. Their vehicles are also not allowed inside. For a day, they are charged Rs 1.25 lakh plus GST. They are not allowed to stay more than 20 days."