Ruthless corruption leading to massive depletion of forest resources is an existential threat to the sustainability of the country's environment. A forest represents, besides environmental sustainability, prevention of disasters like flood and cyclone and fertility of the soil, as well as economic well-being of a vast section of people who trade on forest products. A series of recent reports of corruption, which almost amounted to sell-out of forest resources, on the part of forest officials have given a new urgency to an old problem.