news details |
|
|
Of Kashmir floods and felling of 20 Lakh trees | Can Forest Minister escape responsibility? | | Asif Iqbal Naik
Jammu Sept, 21: As the debate to ascertain the cause of massive floods in Jammu and Kashmir gain momentum, the sources within the Forest Department informed the "Early Times" that over 20 Lakh green trees including Deodar, Farr, Kail, Chinar and other trees fell prey to human greed throughout the state in gross violation of the forest act. As per the details available with "Early Times", half of the green trees fell to various road construction projects including PMGSY, while others were chopped down to pave way for private and government construction works. The huge chunk of forest land runs into thousands of Kanals was also encroached by the land mafia and politically influential people in almost every District of the state with active involvement of forest employees, politicians and bureaucrats. It was not only lower rank politicians or forest official nexus that robbed the green gold openly in flood ravaged state of Jammu and Kashmir, Right to Information (RTI) query last year put J&K Forest Minister in dock as well who by miss using his official position favor his son to carry out blasting in Eco-fragile zone to run a stone crusher. RTI query accessed by the "Early Times" shows that how Maher Ali son of a Senior National Conference leader and Minister for Forest and Environment in Omar Abullah Government Mian Altaf Ahmed was given permission to carry out blasting of rocks into forest land in violation of a Supreme Court order. The favoritism in favor of the minister's son comes to the fore through RTI moved by Dr. Raja Muzzafar Batt of District Budgam. The RTI findings clearly establish how Maher Ali has been granted permission to blast fragile mountain zone, partly in the Kangan forestland so that his stone-crusher could get cheap rocky material. The powerful forest and environment minister in Omar Abdullah government, who is also the legislator of the Kangan constituency, has even managed to get the approval from other departments to get this government order passed. To help the minister son cause, a concrete road was even built to the mountain so that raw material for the crusher can be obtained and easily transported. Open loot of green gold in dense Chenab valley forests still goes unchecked as rural forest are depleting with each passing day. Bhaderwah, Gandow, Jai, forest adjacent to city areas, Chirala and other areas of Doda District & Keshwan, Puttinag, Poochal, Kalamsatar, Gudrashnag, Marwah, Warwan, Dachhan, Chatroo, Padder, Sarthal, Saroor and Bhunzwah areas of Kishtwar Districts are losing its grace due to unchecked and unabated cutting of green trees. As on one hand side many law abiding citizens are waiting for sanctioning of timber in majority of Districts throughout the state and many applications are even pending since last several years in forest offices, but on the other hand side the fresh reports of illegal extraction of green timber are now become a routine matter where hundreds of green trees fall prey to forest officials and timber mafia nexus and supplied the same to people illegally. Every year several residential and commercial structures comes up in major townships, Municipal areas and its adjoining areas and officially; forest Department supplies timber to merely 20% of them and the rest of the 80% timber comes through forest officials and forest mafia network. Another threat to the forests is illegal extraction of fire wood. As a part of nexus, Ponywalas first enters into the forest areas at many places and cuts the green trees. After cutting green trees, they kept the wood inside the forest for drying and when the wood dried, these Ponywalas supplies it to brick Killen owners, Bakery shops and some influential residential houses. Despite imposition of ban on extraction of timber by Supreme Court of India, particularly with respect to green gold, the nexus between the forest officers and the smugglers has become a profitable venture these days as the forest mafias are busy in supply the timber to inhabitants throughout state without any restriction. Earlier it was militants who destroyed timber worth hundreds of cores in Chenab valley, but today forest officials and forest mafia nexus equally threatens the survival of forests in entire state. People in Chenab region believes that the reports of illegal supply of timber in towns and adjoining areas of three Districts of Chenab region Viz Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban could be checked through proper census, as the number of residence and commercial ventures are many fold as compared to the timber officially issued by the forest department at present and in past as well. Forest Minister Mian Altaf in his statement last year stated that forest department is short of manpower, but is this enough to let the things to go lose and allows the forest mafia to rule with the help of few forest officials in kitty, at the time when over 60% employees of State Forest Corporation (SFC) are without work since last over two decade. Forest department officials in order to show their supremacy occupy top posts in cash stripped SFC to avoid burden of work in parental department. SFC employees are considered as trained and highly qualified in dealing forest related matter in the field of extraction of timber from forest, but instead of extracting the timber from forests through SFC, state forest department preferred to carry out the extraction work through contractors or unskilled laborers which is in share violation of the order passed by Supreme Court of India. Keeping in view of massive disaster due to flesh flood, there is immediate need to check green feeling and there is also need to sanction a fixed budget for plantation of trees in barren forest land where green felling has taken place in past. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
|
BSE
Sensex |
|
NSE
Nifty |
|
|
|
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|