Declining green cover: NGO goes to court against govt’s decision to allot forest land

Claim the land is earmarked for forestation.

KARACHI: A non-profit organisation has gone to court against the chief minister (CM) for allotting 9,600 acres of forest land to the armed forces.

The land in Golo Daro, Garhi Yasin area of Shikarpur district, which will be used to give plots for the families of martyred armed personnel, is earmarked for forests and the NGO argued that it cannot be used for any other purpose.

On Saturday, Indus Development Organisation filed a contempt application in Sindh High Court against Sindh CM Qaim Ali Shah and the forest and wildlife protection authorities.

In a copy of the plea available with The Express Tribune, the applicant requested the court to take notice of the conduct of the CM for allegedly committing contempt of the high court's March 10, 2011, judgment and violation of his own undertaking given during hearing of the Indus Development Organisation's petition.

A provincial law officer had contended before the court that the summary was floated to the CM to convert forest land into revenue land but it was withdrawn and the government had no intention whatsoever to go ahead with the conversion, said the petitioner.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2015.