Title Pakistan Forest Digest Issue 01- A4 - Pakistan Research Group

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SDPISustainable Development Policy InstituteSaran valley in a period of 9months 16 DFOs have beentransferred. Public circles havedemanded immediate transfer ofthe conservator saying thatefficient officers shouldbe appointed here.Ruthless cutting of trees continues with theconnivance of officials of forest departmentCorrupt officials should be removed to save precious forestsDaily Shamal Abbottabad, May 27, 2010Jabori (Special Correspondent) InSaran valley large number of treesare being cut every day.Particularly the guzara forests inTodandi and government-ownedforests in Sarbun are being cutruthlessly. People of Jabori saidthat one official has been postedhere since long and when we try totalk to him he does not payattention to us. No action has beentaken against the corrupt officials.Residents of Jabori expressedthese views while talking toShamal correspondent. They saidthat these corrupt officials shouldbe transferred from hereimmediately and an inquiry mustbe initiated if we have to save theforests. They said if this is notdone the forest will soon becomean empty ground and the forestofficials will be responsible forthisdestruction.Battal: forest department adopts effective strategy;timber smugglers go in hidingTimber smugglers are blackmailing forest officials using the newspapersDaily Shamal Abbottabad, May 29, 2010Shinkiari (News Reporter) Due to an effective strategyadopted by the forest department the timber smugglershave gone in hiding. However timber smugglers areusing their agents to blackmail dutiful officials of theforest department through newspapers. Residents ofKonish valley have expressed full confidence in theperformance of the range officer and other staff inBattal. Elders of the area held an important meetingchaired by former councilor Imtiaz Ahmed of BaiTarpi. Around 60 elders attended this meeting.Addressing the meeting these people declared that thereports being published in the newspapers against theBattal range offer and other staff are baseless. Theyalso said that the timber smugglers used to roamaround the forests carrying latest weapons. The forestofficials putting their lives in danger continue toperform their duty of protecting the forests. Due totheir action timber smugglers have gone in hiding.Galiyat: forest department sets new record byplanting 300,000 plantsDaily Shamal Abbottabad, May 17, 2010Changla Gali (SpecialCorrespondent) Forest departmenthas planted over 300,000 plants inGaliyat area during 2009-10plantation campaign. Briefing thejournalists in Koza Gali foresthouse range officer GaliyatDivision Sardar Riyasat Nalothasaid that during the current yearthe forest department has planted85,000 kikar trees, 130,500 biartrees, 10,000 Bankhor trees and53,000 Chir trees. He said thiswas a joint project of ERRA andthe forest department forplantation of trees in earthquakeaffected areas. The target has beenachieved in the first phase.Pakistan Forest Digest Vol. 1, No. 1, April – June, 2010
SDPISustainable Development Policy InstituteHouses are being built in Khan Kalan forestsDaily Shamal Abbottabad, June 01, 2010Nathiagali(SpecialCorrespondent) In Khan KalanRetri UC Bakot area houses arebeing built under the patronage ofGul Zaman son of Abdur Rahmanon the land owned by the forestdepartment. On one hand this isan attempt to grab governmentland while on the other trees arebeing cut down for theconstruction of buildings. Peopleof the area have appealed to therange officer and DFO Galiyatdivision that they should stopconstruction of houses in this areaotherwise the villagers will alsostart building theirhouses on governmentland. This will cause seriouslosses to the forest department.Therefore the high officials of theforest department should stop thisconstruction immediately.Ghazi: Range officer taking bribe destroying forests,DFO also gets his shareDaily Shamal Abbottabad, June 02, 2010Gadwalian(ShamalCorrespondent) Range officer ofGhazi is extorting money. Phalahitrees are being cut in Ghazi andBarikot area. A permit from thedepartment is required for thiscutting but the range officer ofGhazi area has allowed cutting oftrees without a permit. He hasfixed a per vehicle bribe amountwhich is causing huge loss to thegovernment exchequer. Somepeople say that the range officergives a share on this collectedbribe money to the DFO ofHaripur. Ever since the presentDFO Haripur has been appointedthe timber mafia is having a freehand. All the staff is alsoreceiving share in bribe money.This is causing huge loss to thegovernment and the forests are fastturning into empty fields.Kand Bate: Performance of forest officials issatisfactory—popular circlesDaily Shamal Abbottabad, June 13, 2010Dhudial (Our Correspondent)Forest owners say that theperformance of forest officials issatisfactory. The timber mafia istrying to blackmail the officials.Owners of guzara forests inAchhrian Kund Saiyadan havesaid in a joint statement thattimber smugglers have made theirlives miserable while the forestofficials are performing theirduties efficiently. The timbermafia is busy in negativepropaganda against the officials.Forestry Ittehad demands increase in forest royalty to 80 percentDiscretionary powers of forest officers should be withdrawn.Press conference by Dost MuhammadDaily Aaj, Peshawar, June 11, 2010Peshawar (Staff Reporter) SarhadAwami Forestry Ittehad (SAFI)has demanded that the governmentshould increase forest royalty from60 percent to 80 percent. This wassaid in a press conference by thepresident of SAFI, DostMuhammad Khan in PeshawarPress Club. He said that thepollution can be controlled only bygrowing more trees in the country.He said that the forest owners,organizations for protection offorests and also the civil society isviolating the rights of the people.He said a new legislation is neededfor keeping the environment cleanand protecting the rights of thepeople over forests so that thepeople could also look after theforests. He asked the governmentPakistan Forest Digest Vol. 1, No. 1, April – June, 2010
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Title Pakistan Forest Digest Issue 01- A4 - Pakistan Research Group

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