4,000-year-old cedar tree chopped down

Locals say pictures of ancient tree have also adorned Lahore Art Gallery

BALAKOT:

A cedar tree aged 4,000 years, which was the centre of attraction for tourists in Shogran, has been cut down.

Locals and dignitaries demanded of the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other top forest officials to take notice of this matter. They added that it was their right to know who was involved in cutting the ancient tree.

On Tuesday, a local dignitary Syed Basharat Shah and some others told the media on the spot that the ancient tree in the famous tourist spot in Kaghan Valley always caught the attention of the tourist who posed for selfies and marveled at the magnificent masterpiece of nature. Pictures of this ancient tree have also adorned the Lahore Art Gallery.

According to the local people, the cutting of an ancient tree is a question mark on the efficiency of the forest department. They added that if the officials really care about it then they must look into this issue.

This scribe tried to contact Divisional Forest Officer Rizwan Shah several times to know about the K-P Forest Department's stance in this regard, but he did not pick up the phone.

Meanwhile, construction work is in progress simultaneously on 12 different sites of the Dasu Hydropower Project (DHPP). The critical diversion system would be completed in May while electricity generation from the project would commence by the end of 2026.

This was briefed to WAPDA Chairman Sajjad Ghani by the project management during his visit to the Dasu Hydropower Project, which is being constructed by WAPDA on the River Indus upstream of Dasu town in Upper Kohistan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The chairman visited various sites of the project, including diversion tunnels, the dam area, and the project colony.

During his visit to the project colony, the chairman inaugurated the newly constructed office building of the project. He also had a meeting with the grand jirga, comprising elders and notables of the Kohistan region. During his interaction with the jirga members, the chairman said that the agreement, signed among the United Kohistan Jirga, civil administration and WAPDA last month, will prove beneficial for both locals of the area and the project.

With additional input from APP

 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 5^th, 2023.