College trees axed without leave

Video shows wood hauled away as college claims fire damage; a committee given three days to root out the truth

KARACHI:

A case of tree cutting and alleged sale of wood has surfaced at Government Degree Boys College Gulistan-e-Johar, administered by the Provincial Department of College Education and located adjacent to Karachi University.

Apparently, the college administration carried out the act without prior permission from higher authorities. Following the incident, the Regional Directorate of Colleges has formed a three-member "Fact-Finding Committee" to investigate the matter. The committee will submit its report to the Regional Director Karachi within three days.

It is being reported that taking advantage of the Sunday holiday, trees located behind the college building were cut down. Those involved loaded the wood onto a cargo motor rickshaw and took it outside the college premises.

A video circulating on social media shows cut wood being transported on a motor rickshaw. In the video, the person carrying the wood can be heard saying that permission for the tree cutting was granted by the college principal. However, it remains unclear whether the permission came from the morning shift principal or the evening shift principal.

Meanwhile, college sources claim that the trees had caught fire a few days ago and were burnt beyond use. However, the wood seen in the circulating video does not appear to be burnt.

The Fact-Finding Committee constituted by Regional Director of Colleges Gulab Rai includes Principal of Adamjee Government Science College Professor Nasir Iqbal, Principal of Government Degree Boys College Sachal Goth Abdul Khaliq Rajpar, and Assistant Director Hussain Farooq Khan.

The committee will visit the college, inspect the site, assess the number and condition of the trees, interview staff members, and determine responsibility. The committee will also investigate whether these trees were environmentally friendly, and if so, why they were cut down.