JAMMU:
Belying the tall claims of Forest Department officials from ‘Beat
Guard’ to concerned ‘Minister’ about the protection of forest wealth and
its damage from the cutting and encroachments, the pictures taken by
the JK MONITOR’s field team members, clearly show that
the departmental officials are working against the basic purpose of this
department and helping encroachments and cutting green trees which is
proving dangerous for the survival of mankind and the wild animals and
further resulting in Man-Animal conflict.
Preliminary
investigations reveal that the officials concerned from ‘Beat Guard’ to
Range or Division level, instead of acting on behalf of the department
prefer to favour encroachers and forest mafia for which they allegedly
charge money from these enemies of forest and nature.
It
seems that this department has turned into a public assistance
department where all possible support is provided to those who
encroaches forest land. Interestingly, whenever there is hue and cry or
if the matter is reported in media or highlighted through any medium,
the department representative initiates a formal inquiry and later get
an affidavit from the encroacher that, he will not further dig or
encroach the forest land.
This
simply established that whatever an encroacher encroaches that is ok
with the department but shall not move further. Such kind of favour to
the encroacher, speaks volumes about the intentions of officials
concerned and the hidden reasons not to take any action, can be judged
easily.
It has become now routine, to
set trees on fire so they dry and the land can be converted into
agriculture land, this all is done with free hand as officials at the
helm of affairs allegedly give priority to accumulate money through all
means and have no concern for the forest and its produce.
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