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| Forest deptt sans maps of Kashmir forests | | | Javaid Naikoo
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Feb 12: The tall claims of successive governments to bring back lost charm to forests of Kashmir seems a distant dream as forest department of Kashmir sans maps of forests, thereby raising serious questions about recovery of encroached forest land by mafia.
Early Times accessed important documents reflecting that the department has no maps.
In a written communication concerned officials of forest division Langate-Handwara which comprises forest Compartments of District Baramullah and frontier Kupwara said that 'forest maps of this division were gutted in a fire incident of January 1990.'
In absence forest maps, the concerned officials in the same written communication mention that 'efforts were being taken to retrieve back encroached forest land from encroachers by means of corporations, assistance from territorial staff, forest protection force and Police department.'
Document details reveal that in District Kupwara at present 492.99 Hectares of forest area is still under occupation of land Mafia and similarly in Baramullah 131.45 Hectares of forest land is under encroachment of influential people.
Details accessed by early times said that around 13,000 hectares of forest land are under encroachment and around 3100 hectares of forest land were retrieved from land mafia over the years at different places across Kashmir.
Forest maps of South District Shopian according to sources were also gutted in one unconfirmed fire incident of 90's. As per details still 773.32 hectares of forest land is in possession of land Mafias in compartments of Sedow, Heerpora, Borihalan, Kathohalan and Keller.
Wishing anonymity forest officials said that during the peak of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir most of the offices of Forest Department across Kashmir were set on fire by unknown people which resulted in loss of forest maps and actual record of Forests of Kashmir division.
The total forest area of the state according to official figures is 20230 square kms and until recently forest department had planted around 18.30 lakh plants under CAMPA forest scheme, however according to sources there is not a single conifer tree in any jungle compartment of the Kashmir which could have replaced one conifer tree cut by jungle smugglers since 90's.
Sources said that in absence of forest maps details about forest land encroachment shared by officials with people is always based on guess work as there are no actual summation books of forest records available with officials.
Sources said that in many forest compartments where people have erected residential houses in the middle of previously called dense forests over the years have also framed fraud revenue documents to claim ownership rights on forest land and any action against them from concerned department is halted through political interference. Pertinently amid tall claims of successive governments to recover encroached forest land from influential people and investment of crores of rupees annually under different schemes nature loving people however still crave to see lost charm of Kashmir forests. |
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