SHC to task Rangers with forest land recovery

Forest dept officials accuse police, revenue officers of colluding with influential encroachers

HYDERABAD:

The Sindh High Court has hinted at tasking the Rangers with removing encroachments from thousands of acres of forest land.

The Sukkur circuit bench, comprising Justice Aftab Ahmed Gorar and Justice Adnan Iqbal Chaudhry, noted with concern on Wednesday the tedious pace of land recovery by the Sindh government.

The court said it would issue an order to the Rangers director-general to provide protection to forest officials and enable the swift recovery of illegally occupied forest land.

Forest department officials alleged in court that the police were hand-in-glove with influential persons who had encroached upon government land.

However, additional advocate-general Shafi Muhammad Chandio apprised the court that the Sindh government was removing the encroachments in a phased exercise. He added that a new policy was also being formed to restore forest cover and sought time for the government time to execute its plans.

Unmoved, the bench said the policy to restore forest cover could be devised and implemented once the land was recovered.

Sindh Forest Department chief conservator Aijaz Nizamani briefed the court that 246,852 acres of forest land was under illegal occupation by influential politicians and landlords. He added that after the apex court's orders in this regard were issued, around 172,815 acres of land had been recovered while over 74,000 remained unlawfully occupied.

"The forest department lacks the resources and manpower to take the land back on its own," claimed Nizamani, contending that provincial revenue officials, too, were involved in such land-grabbing.

Forest officials also pleaded the court to order the police to provide the necessary security and cooperation.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 2^nd, 2020.