Guwahati, July 17 -- Assam Forest Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah on Thursday ordered immediate ecological restoration and tighter security measures in the Behali Reserve Forest after an inspection found extensive forest destruction along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.

Mallabaruah visited the affected areas on the directions of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, accompanied by senior officials from the Forest Department, Assam Police and the civil administration, to assess the damage and review protection measures.

The visit followed reports of large-scale forest destruction allegedly carried out by miscreants operating across the inter-state border. According to the state government, satellite imagery and drone surveys comparing the...