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| Degradation of forest wealth in JK continues unchecked | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
Jammu, Dec 11 :-Despite the fact that the Government has been earmarking substantial amount of money for aforestation the rate of degradation of forests and their wealth in Jammu and Kashmir continues to increase.
Official sources said that apart from militancy related violence, which resulted in loss of precious forest wealth, especially timber, the nexus between the timber smugglers and Government officials and between the land grabbers and the ruling politicians had led to the rapid squeezing of the forest land in the state.
Sources said that during the last 10 years about five per cent of the forest land had been lost to he land grabbers and influential politicians and bureaucrats. They said there were number of forest belts close to the cities and towns that had been deforested for being used for raising residential houses.
Knowledgeable circles in the Government said that misappropriation of funds, earmarked for aforestation, had resulted in the rapid denudation of the forest wealth.
Official sources said that despite people's banking on cooking gas majority of people in the rural areas continued to depend on fuel wood. Besides this, increase in population had led to increase in the number of residential houses in various parts of the state. This activity had led to rapid loss of timber. A Government report says that on an average 20 lakh cft of timber and 300 lakh quintals of fuel wood are consumed per year in Jammu and Kashmir.
The report said that as a result of peoples’ dependence on timber and fuel wood the Government has increased supply of timber from eight lakh cft to 12 lakh cft a year. It has also allowed people and private agencies to import timber from the neighboring states. The Government has also earmarked Rs.100 crores to be spent during the next five years on aforestation an on extending green cover.
However, if stern measures were not taken against land grabbers, timber smugglers and those involved in illicit felling of trees in various forest compartments the Governments aforestation programme may not ensure safety to the forest wealth.
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