Timber mafia smashed but encroachment of 183 sq km forest area still existing

153 vehicles, 1620 horses seized; PSA slapped on over 100 timber smugglers

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Nov 16: Forest Minister Mian Altaf Ahmad today claimed to have liberated four hyper-sensitive divisions from timber mafia with slapping of Public Safety Act (PSA) over more than 100 smugglers and seizure of 153 vehicles and 1620 horses. He, nevertheless, admitted that 183 sq km encroached forest area was still under the occupation of land grabbers in Jammu & Kashmir.

Available at the Winter Secretariat for current week, Mian Altaf revealed at a crowded news conference that despite acute shortage of manpower, Forest Department and Forest Protection Force (FPF) had decisively curbed the menace of timber smuggling in four hyper-sensitive divisions of Kashmir Valley in the last three years. He said that non-availability of human resource was a major handicap as recruitment of ACFs and Range Officers (ROs) had remained frozen from 1984 to 2011. He admitted that during this long period of nearly 27 years, IFS officers from outside Jammu & Kashmir dominated the Forest Service in the state.

Mian Altaf said that due to paucity of staff and involvement of Forest officials at several places, timber mafias had set up their dens in certain areas in the strife-ravaged Kashmir valley in the last many years, particularly from 2006 to 2008. “When I took over in January 2009, I found that officials of Forest Department and Forest Protection Force had completely surrendered in Pir Panjal Division in Budgam, Forest Division Shopian in South Kashmir, Rafiabad in North Kashmir, besides Sindh Division in Ganderbal district”, Mian Altaf said. He said that he made liberation of these critical areas from timber smugglers as the top priority of his Ministry.

“Thousands of green conifer trees had been felled by the smugglers with involvement of Forest officials in Shopian, Budgam and Rafiabad areas. Timber mafias had established their regime”, Mian Altaf said. A number of officers, who held senior positions in Forest Department and FPF during this infamous period, were present at the Minister’s press conference. Their faces turned read. “But when we began asserting our writ, common people and civil society lent us unflinching support and within three years we succeeded in curbing the menace of timber smuggling to a large extent”, Mian Altaf said.

Forest Minister said that as many as 153 vehicles, carrying illegally felled and smuggled timber, were seized---61 in 2009-10, 68 in 2010-11 and 24 till date in 2011-12. In addition to that, officials also seized 1620 horses for the same illegal activity---822 in 2009-10, 508 in 2010-11 and 290 till date in 2011-12. He said that PSA was slapped on 74 timber smugglers in 2009-10 and on 28 in 2010-11 but only 29 detention orders were implemented in 2009-10 and just 13 in 2010-11.

According to Forest Minister, dwindling of the figures of the vehicles and horses seized to 24 and 290 respectively in 2011-12 was an indication of the success of his campaign as least number of people were currently indulging in the forest crime. He said that cheques and balances had also been employed to ensure that innocent civilians don’t become victims of his department’s drive against timber smugglers. He revealed that Rs 16 Lakh was the department’s expenditure on fodder and transportation of the seized horses in 2009.

“Of late, we received a complaint from a detained civilian in Shopian through Chief Minister’s Grievance Cell. We immediately sought a report from CID. Two investigations confirmed that an innocent person had been arrested and booked under PSA. Thereupon, we immediately ordered his release”, Mian Altaf said. 

In reply to a question, Forest Minister said that he had not found security forces in any incident of green felling or timber smuggling in the last three years of his government. However, complaints regarding the firing range at Tosamaidan, in Budgam district, were being addressed.

Forest Minister said that his government had initiated several measures to improve the system of making timber available to domestic consumers in the state as 95 percent of the population use it in construction of their residential houses and other buildings. The system of sanctioning timber was made transparent and people-friendly. Different teams would conduct spot inspections and ensure that timer was sanctioned only to genuine applicants and it was not diverted to any other use or re-sale by the applicants. As many as 1400 sanctions were found fake during a verification process in South Circle alone.

Mian Altaf revealed that in addition to auctions by J&K State Forest Corporation, Forest Department was providing 13 Lakh cft of timber to the consumers on concessional rates. He said that import of timber from foreign countries had been encouraged by the government so as to ensure that timber remained available to consumers through parallel channels and people were not constrained to resort to illegal felling and smuggling. While as 23 cft of imported timber was used in the state in 2009-10, it rose to 43 Lakh cft in the current year. He said that officials were asserting to see that the traders did not fleece the consumers with exorbitant rates and that only good quality timber was allowed in.

Mian Altaf further revealed that nurseries of conifer trees were being laid and hundreds of thousands of trees were being planted in affected areas out of the funds available under CAMPA. Departments acquiring forest land for different developmental projects were providing particular amounts of money under Supreme Court of India direction for development and protection of forests every year. Chain Link fencing was also  being laid around hundreds of endangered compartments under CAMPA. He said that Rs 3 Cr had been allocated out of CAMPA funds to the worst hit divisions of Pir Panjal, Rafiabad and Shopian during the current year. Nurseries were being set up in all ranges. He said that Forest Department under this scheme would plant 12 Lakh conifer trees in the forthcoming season while as 6 Lakh plants would be provided to common people.

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