More than 500 trees were felled to construct a dirt road for transporting iron ore from the Rowghat mine in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district without prior nod from the forest department, officials said on Sunday, a charge denied by the mine allottee.

State-owned Steel Authority of India Ltd’s (SAIL)’s unit, Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP), which has been allotted the Rowghat mine, confirmed trees had been cut, but denied any violation and maintained the road was built within an area for which statutory forest clearance had already been granted.