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| Political patronization helping saw mill owners to run business illegally | | | Gopal Gupta
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Aug 5: Emboldened by political patronage and existing security scenario, 2700 saw mills running across Kashmir valley are either illegal or have been running in complete breach of the supreme court order which calls for banning the saw mills located within 8 Kilometers from the borderline of territorial forests.
Sources in the forest department said that of around 3200 saw mills in operation across Kashmir valley, around 1200 saw mills do not have proper license and have been running merely because of the political patronage being enjoyed by them. 1500 saw mills are located in the most sensitive "A" Zone of the forest divisions of Kashmir valley.
Official sources added that even the 500 saw mills which have proper license have been resorting to illegal activities for profit making. Moreover, Forest Protection Force (FPF) has found the going tough. Sources affirmed that armed with a weak forest protection act, forest protection force has so far managed to close down or dismantle around 28 saw mills since the last 12 years, that too with great difficulty.
Official data reveals that the force has in the last 12 years seized 128270 cubit feet of banned timber, recovered 152 vehicles and 546 horses. However, the data confirms that of the total seizure, 70,000 cubic feet of timber, 284 horses and 118 vehicles have been seized in the last four years. It further affirms that buoyed by official assistance and political patronage, the illegal saw mill owners have become multimillionaires.
It needs to be emphasized here that in 1996, Supreme Court of India had ordered blanket ban on felling of green conifer trees. It had banned operation and licensing of sawmills in the most sensitive "A" Zone and ordered relocation of all existing authorized sawmills within 8 Kilometers from the borderline of territorial forests. Supreme Court had also constituted Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to monitor violation of its orders and issued fresh guidelines to states with regard to preserving of forests.
Moreover, earlier also when in the previous congress-PDP coalition, 30-odd unauthorized sawmills located in "A" zone of Pir-Panjal Division were closed down, the owners managed transfer and posting of an officer of the forest department and thereafter, got all unauthorized sawmills located in "A" zone of PP Division, beginning with the revival of 5 units belonging to close relatives of a former minister.
Sources said that assert that unauthorized sawmills with no records and registration are still operating in broad daylight in Pir Panjal range with power development department providing them illegal power connections. They added that at many places, these timber smugglers are running such saw mills whose ownership lies with relatives of the two former ministers of Jammu and Kashmir government.
Sources further disclosed that felling of green conifer trees in broad daylight in different compartments is a common sight. They added that with forest secretariat busy in its internal problems, timber smugglers have been enjoying a field day in a vast area surrounding a number of picturesque tourist spots of north and south Kashmir.
Ironically, top officials in the forest department despite being aware of this loot have been maintaining a criminal silence over the issue. Sources disclosed that officials of the forest department have been receiving complaints against several officials for being either actively involved in timber smuggling or patronizing various illegally run saw mills in north as well as south Kashmir.
But they added that "all efforts are being made to keep the minister for Mian Altaf in dark with regard to illegally running saw mills." Referring to nexus of timber smugglers, sources said that "some officers have either never been shifted from particular places in some specific divisions or transferred but never relieved." Despite admission of the forest officials that large-scale damage had been caused to forests in North and South Kashmir, sources maintained that political situation of Jammu and Kashmir is preventing the department from taking corrective steps. |
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