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| Timber smugglers make hay as forest guards remain absent | | Flood aftermath | | Shakeel A Khan
SRINAGAR, Sept 27: Trying hard to capitalize on the chance provided by the flood, the timber smugglers are busy in executing their plans to cause as much as damage they can to the green gold in the Kashmir Valley. The absence of the forest guards from their duties has made the job of the smugglers even easier.
Most of the forest guards have failed to resume their duties after the flood struck the Valley.
Going by the fact that the warnings from the government to their employees to report to their offices have failed to yield good results and the forest guards, whose duty is very sensitive in nature, also stand unmoved.
In the wake of the recent floods the forests of the valley are losing the sheen very fast as the smugglers are felling the trees at a tremendous rate. Once the flood struck the Valley, the smugglers have made successful attempts in vandalizing the forests. Be it the Pir Panchal range or the forests in the north of the Valley, the felling of the trees is very common these days, that too in the large numbers, if the sources are to believed.
"Soon after the flood fury, the movement of the timber smugglers has picked up, who have no difficulties in carrying out their business even in the broad day light.
As it is in the knowledge of the smugglers that the timber will be in great demand since most of the houses in Kashmir have collapsed or damaged to a great extent which need to be re-build or repaired," said Imtiyaz Ahmad from Ganderbal, while talking to the Early Times.
If Imtiyaz is to be believed, the poor concern of the forest officials and the ill attitude of the forest guards towards their duties are proving disastrous for the forests of the valley. As per Imtiyaz, none from the government or from the forest department is looking concerned about the vandalisation of the forests that have become fearless as the government has been washed away by the flood fury.
Another person namely Shabir Ahmad from Ganderbal told The Early Times that the last twenty days or so have witnessed a huge damage to the forests in the Lidder range. As per Shabir forest officials have turned a blind eye towards this very fact. Shabir says that the officials of the concerned department seemingly have preferred to be mute spectators as part of their nexus with the smugglers.
People of the Valley generally believe that the officials and the forest guards are enjoying themselves with the recent flood as the excuse for staying away from their duties.
Whether the forests are vandalized or set on fire, they have hardly anything to bother about, the commoners say. |
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