 Mohammad Sarfaraz
Early Times Report
BANDIPORA, Feb 15: At a time when government is trying hard to bring Gurez on tourism map, there are scores of villages where wanton loot of green forests is going on in a broad day light and the authorities concerned are in a deep slumber.
Sources told Early Times that, the wanton loot of forests is unabated in Gurez area of Bandipora district where timber mafias are smuggling forest logs and selling them in the nearby areas of the district in a broad daylight.
Dozens of green trees were lying on the ground after being chopped off while as the concerned department has not taken any legal action against the timber smugglers.
Sources said that there were scores of villages where from green trees were chopped off by the timber smugglers like in Jurniyal,Khundiyal,Manzgund, Korgbal, Gujran, Markoot, Mastan Khopri, and other areas.
In the past we had informed some forest officials about the open loot and smuggling but it seems that they have given them liberty that is why smugglers are roaming freely in the area, sources informed.
They said that in past police had raided many places and seized plenty of forest timber that was dumped in the forests after which, nobody was daring to go in forest compartments, but from past many weeks the same process was started again.
A resident of Markoot area said that they were surprised to see scores of green trees lying on the ground in their nearby areas, however smugglers had chopped off these trees surely for the purpose of smuggling.
"This is very unfortunate, instead of planting the new conifers, many green and young trees were chopped off, and for all these mischievous activities, department is not able to put a raid in the nearby forests", said locals.
They said that one can easily understand that the forest officials were hand in glove with smugglers, that is why they have failed in protecting forest wealth. |
