MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): The Azad Kashmir Forest Department’s has faced backlash for its alledged backing to the illegal logging in Muzaffarabad forests.
The practice has been on the rise, with rare trees like deodar, bayar, and walnut being cut down and smuggled out of the area with the alleged connivance of the Forest Department.
As per details, precious trees are being cut down in compartments 23, 24, 25, and 26 in the Haryala Gujran area of the Muzaffarabad district.
Residents of the area accused the forest mafia of having advanced chainsaw machines to cut and smuggle wood daily, often with the alleged connivance of foresters and guards.
They accused the forest department officials of collusion with the timber mafia.
Sources told Kashmir Digital that hundreds of valuable trees were smuggled during Ramadan and the night before Eid-ul-Fitr, with over 51 sleepers still lying on the main road and many fallen wood inside the forest.
Public circles have demanded that the Forest Department and higher authorities take strict action against those responsible and immediately restore the local checkpoint to protect the forests in the area.
