J&K intensifies patrolling, vigil to crackdown forest mafia
In an attempt to stop rampant loot and smuggling of forest timber the Forest Department in Bhaderwah has intensified patrolling to nab the mafia active on the border of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. The mafia is active in the Bhaderwah belt prevent timber smuggling.
Divisional Forest Officer Bhaderwah T B Singh in a press conference said protection mechanism has been strengthened particularly in Padri forest area on Jammu and Kashmir and HP border and said squads have been formed to intensify patrolling and more pickets are established.
“We have formed two groups headed by forest officials and provided them with lights to help them in patrolling even during night on border area near Himachal Pradesh,” he said.
He said forest guards and watchers are part of the group. Work of the squads is being regularly monitored.
He also said after felling Deodar and other Cheer trees, the mafia from HP make planks and sleepers and transport the wood on motorcycles to Chamba and other parts of the HP.
The DFO said smuggling has always been there but the last couple of years they have reduced the smuggling to almost 95 percent.
“In the past one year forest officials have foiled many attempts of timber mafia and seized one tree and one Chain saw machine from smugglers,” he said, informing that the involvement of forest department of both the states was a must to tackling cross-border smuggling of the timber.
“The Department is ill-equipped to curb smuggling and faces shortage of adequate vehicles for patrolling. In addition, it doesn’t have mobile phone or walky-talky sets to communicate, he said.
(PTK)