Deforestation blues: Imran vows to crack down on timber mafia

Will request PHC chief justice to tackle cases with immediate effect

MANSEHRA:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Friday vowed to take action against timber smuggling and illegal tree felling in the province.

Speaking to students and faculty members at the Garden campus of Hazara University in Mansehra on Friday, the PTI chief pledged that all culprits will be taken to task irrespective of their social or political status.

The event was attended by Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, PTI’s provincial president Azam Khan Swati and forest department officials.



According to Imran, over the last decade, activities of lumberjacks have inflicted a loss of Rs100 billion on the national exchequer by denuding forests of trees. Moreover, he said the environment department secretary had visited Siran valley in Hazara division and recorded that over 40,000 trees were illegally felled in the region.

“At this rate, the country is at risk of turning into a desert over the next four decades,” the PTI chief said. “Lumberjacks need to be stopped from playing havoc with natural resources and afforestation must be carried out on a large scale to tackle this threat.”

Imran also accused forest department officials of being hand in glove with the culprits.

“The loss of forest cover in the province will not have come to pass if the forest department had not colluded with the miscreants,” he said. “The recent suspension of over a dozen forest officials for the first time in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provides ample proof of the government’s willingness to take action against the culprits.”

The PTI chief assured the participants he would meet the chief justice of the Peshawar High Court, Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel, and request him to address all timber smuggling cases with immediate effect.

“Concrete steps are under way to protect and conserve existing and newly-planted trees in the province,” Imran said. “More security guards have been hired. Moreover, their salaries have been increased and forest guards have been trained to use weapons at the Hangu Police Training School.”

According to the PTI chief, new legislation will be introduced with a view to awarding severe punishments to timber mafia.

“Under the new legislation, fines for the offence will be increased,” Imran said. “The provincial government is also planning to introduce satellite monitoring of forest areas.”

Imran said the government has launched a “Billion Tree Tsunami” campaign to increase the forest cover from 20% to 35%.

“The campaign will help K-P earn $1 million in revenue and simultaneously protect the environment from global warming and floods,” the PTI chief said. “Through this campaign, new job opportunities will be created for young people.”

Speaking on the occasion, CM Khattak said the provincial government was planning to introduce an act whereby anyone who comes forward to report illegal felling of trees will be awarded 25% of the compensation amount. Later, the PTI chief launched the plantation campaign in the province by planting a tree at Hazara University.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 7^th, 2015.