The ongoing lockdown is being exploited by forest smugglers in this town of Doda district.
Officials registered more than a dozencases against smugglers even as the Forest Department along with Police havestepped up efforts to check such smuggling incidents amid COVID19 lockdown.
According to official reports as many as1286.9 cubic feet timber extracted illegally from green cedars and pine treesand nine heavy mechanical diesel cutters have been seized from Tanta Panchayatin Chirala Range of BFD alone.
According to reports, as many as 10 caseshave been registered so for, while 14 culprits (including two arrested) bookedand 14 saw mills sealed in Neeru Range in the last 4 days.
DFO Bhadarwah Chander Shekhar expressedconcern over the increasing deforestation in the surrounding urban areas. “Wehave verified the incidents and found that people are taking advantage of thelack of movement during the lockdown to steal the forest wealth and use dieselcutters which inflict maximum damage in minimum time. As during the lockdown,officials and staffers of the department could not move and miscreants see anopportunity in this,” the official said.
The DFO stated that the department hasrequested the JKP and FPF (Forest Protection Police) to help fight forestmafia. “They have readily assured us full support and we have already startedjoint operations.”
The officer stated that the nightpatrolling has been intensified as a result, last night two smugglers who werestealing timber from Divisional office Bhadarwah were nabbed by the vigilantstaff and handed over to police.
“To tighten the noose against the forestmafia, I along with SP Bhadarwah Raj Singh Gouria and Deputy Director FPF MohinderThakur raided Tanta and Trainkal Panchayats of Chirala Range and seized 9mechanical diesel cutters which are illegal to use,” DFO said.
“A dossier has been also made against thehabitual offenders and who are taking advantage of the lockdown and they willbe soon booked under PSA,” officer added.