Smuggling of precious Deodar timber continue from Lawari top.
By: Gul Hamaad Farooqi
CHITRAL: Timber Mafia is busy to smuggle precious infrastructure wood of Deodar from Lawari top forest just after its opening. The smugglers have cut these wood upto 3 feet pieces so as to be easy in transportation and to justify it for smuggling to down district. An military officer told this scribe on the condition of anonymity that during removing of snow from Lawari top so many Deodar trunks recovered under avalanches and the mafia were busy to cut it in 3 feet pieces to supply it down districts. But no action was taken by forest department and its staff remained silent spectator. There were so many Deodar trees on main Lawari top road and Timber mafia with conspiracy of forest department staff cut it in pieces to be easy for supplying to down district. A Mazda van were also seen carrying Deodar trunks in its secret parts on Lawary top road. As well as forest check post at Ziarat near Lawari top was found close and there was no body to check and stop smuggling of this timber it shows that forest staff gives them free hand for smuggling of trees.
In this connection when this scribe contacted Shah Wazir conservator of forest department of Chitral at Timergara he said that this is totally illegal to cut these precious trunk in 3 feet pieces for smuggling and stern action would be taken against defaulter staff of forest department who involve in this conspiracy. When this scribe contacted Divisional Forest officer Chitral Mr. Shaukat he denied for any comments on this issue before the media. Hence he said that some local people are royalty holders and they use these trunk as fire wood. Hence he confirmed that smuggling is continuing from Arandu forest to Bajawar and Afghanistan. When he was informed that timber worth of billion rupees lying at Drosh in residence of a influential person of the area and it is not clear that either they were cut legally or illegally he took silent on this issue. It is worth to mention here that cutting smuggling of green Deodar trunk is totally banned hence wooden piece of 3 feet is easy to be hide as well as not to be forfeited under rule and these tactics were told to these smugglers by forest department staff for their personal benefit. Social and political circle of Chitral demanded from Chief Minister and secretary forest department for taking stern action against black sheep among forest staff and to stop openly smuggling of timber and its illegal cutting so as to save Chitral from deforestation for protecting it from soil erosion and tremendous flood.
G.H. Farooqi C/O Manager bank Islami Main branch Chitral phone No 0943-320737, 0943-316052, 0943-414418 , 03025989602, 03337069572, 03159698446, 03469002167
email: gulhamad@gmail.com