BHADERWAH: Continuing their operation against the illegal loggers, Police today seized 173 timber scants, 20 logs and two freshly cut green trees in Bhalesa Range of Bhaderwah Forest Division in districts Doda. Meanwhile Forester Ghulam Mustafa and a beat guard Manzoor Ahmed have been placed under suspension and action recommended against the Range Officer Azad Hussain by Divisional Forest Officer Bhaderwah The. B. Singh for their failure to check the green felling and their alleged involvement in smuggling of the timber.
"The action was taken after preliminary investigation suggests that these officials failed to check green felling and somehow facilitated the illegal activity," said DFO Bhaderwah T. B. Singh. Continuing their operation against the illegal loggers which started on 27th of March and after receiving more inputs from the locals, a police team conducted a raid at compartment no. 85 in Kakothi village of Bhaderwah forest division and seized 173 timber scants, 20 green timber logs and two freshly cut trees from the area, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Gandoh, Bushan Kumar Ganjoo said.
He further said that they want Forest department to join the operation against the the illegal loggers but unfortunately they are yet to receive any cooperation as the seized timber lies scattered at several places and we have deployed our own men for the safety of the same. We have taken three persons of Kakothi village into custody so far,a case under section 379 RPC(Ranbir penal code) of 6 Forest act has been registered and investigation is underway,he said, adding, although hostile weather is hampering the search operations but more seizures and arrests are expected soon.
It is notable to mention here that on 27th of March in a bizarre incident of looting green gold with both hands, Gandoh police recovered 63 timber scants and Six freshly sawed down green trees in the same compartment i.e comp. 85 of Bhalesa Range and arrested two smugglers. Meanwhile environmentalists and social workers are up in arms against the forest department for their inaction against the forest Mafia in general and corrupt officials in particular which according to them has boosted the morale of the illegal loggers and has resulted in mass destruction of forest wealth and massacre of green pine and cedar trees with increased intensity.
"On one hand Doda Police is doing a commendable job by going all-out against the forest Mafia by nabbing them and making huge seizers in far off areas but on the other hand Territorial Forest department and Forest Protection Force meant to protect the forest is making mockery of their responsibility by becoming a part of the illegal activity of looting green gold, " said social activist Sachin Singh Sambyal alleging that officers sitting at the helm of affairs in Chinab Circle are hand-in-glove with Forest Mafia and are are getting their share of the loot.
" We even informed Conservator Chinab Circle about the illegal activity going on in our area on large scale but all our complaints and request to save our Forest fell to his deaf ear. We are happy that finally police came to our rescue and cracked a whip against the illegal loggers", alleged a Villager from Kakothi Gandoh adding that police Crack down against illegal loggers is going on in our area since last four days but surprisingly we have not seen even a single Forest official or FPF men here during these days.
Beside illegal green felling on Bhalesa Range, reports of massive green felling are also coming from Neeru, Chirala and Killar Ranges of Bhaderwah Forest Division. It's notable to mention here that scientists have more recently at Bangkok have warned that Large-scale deforestation could cause monsoon rains to shift south, cutting rainfall in India by nearly a fifth, scientists say. Deforestation has long been known to cause temperature increases in local areas, but new research published on Tuesday shows a potentially wider impact on monsoon rains.