Vigilant Guard foils bid of Khairwood smuggling in Dhok Wazrian

Forest department needs to be overhauled!

• The senior officers of Forest Department have failed to make a fool-proof mechanism to arrest the timber robbery from Forest land.
• Sarpanch Advocate Raman Wazir extended his full cooperation to nab the timber robbers.
•  The Forest Guard Ghulam Ali has done the job with all efforts in foiling the timber smuggling bid as he has done in past and he may be awarded with highest award of Forest Department.

JJ CORRESPONDENT

Jammu, Jan 11: How had timber robbers dared to cut down the green trees in the area of Dok Waziran? Why the Forest Department is so weak that any Tom, Dock and Harry can fell down the green tree openly and there is no fool proof mechanism with Forest department to stop it? Who is responsible for illegal felling of the green trees that too in the Forest land? Why are these robbers opted to cut down the green Khair trees? Who is the person behind the timber robbers supporting them to rob the green trees? Why is the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Jammu & Kashmir Mohit Gera behaving like mute spectator? Why is the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Jammu & Kashmir Mohit Gera so incompetent to control the timber robbing? These are some tough questions for Mohit Gera to come forward and reply these questions by his action and not by opting to be mute spectator only to kill the time.
Acting on the basis of specific information regarding illegal smuggling of forest produce, a joint team of forest field staff of Jammu Forest Range and Social Forestry Department headed by Diwakar Jamwal Block Officer Nagrota-I, Bhagwan Dass Block Officer, Ghulam Ali Forest Guard Social Forestry Department along with staff of Social Forestry Department seized two Swift Cars bearing registration numbers JKO2CV 0071 & JK02BW 5586 loaded with 15 numbers of Khairwood billets at Dhok Wazira, Nagrota. As per the reports, during the intervening night of 10th- 11th January a joint team of forest field staff of Nagrota-I Forest Block and Social Forestry Department was regular night patrolling and during the odd hours near about 1.00 am, there was movement of two cars JK02BW-5586 & JK02CV-0071. As some people were felling Khair trees and the sound of axe cutting was the instrumental to alert the field staff. Immediately the forest team ambushed the way which was coming out of the area to apprehend the smugglers, they tried to flee and abscond along with the cars but couldn’t make it due to the presence of villagers at one point and Forest Department naka at another. The offenders left the cars and fled away from the spot. Thereafter on spot physical verification the cars were found to be laden with 15 Khairwood billets and were seized under Indian Forest Act-1927 and brought to Gladni Depot for further proceedings. The Forest Offence Report (FOR) has also been registered and confiscation proceeding against the vehicle is also initiated. Forest Department added that the department is taking all the measures to prevent smuggling of Forest produce and encroachment on Forest land at any cost.
The Sarpanch of Dhok Waziran Advocate Raman Wazir also extended his support to nab the timber robbers despite he is unwell. He deputed a Panch of Ward No 7 Parshotam Kumar to tackle the issue and to call the police. Parshotam Lal helped the Forest officials to report the matter to the police. Advocate Raman Wazi is also chairman of VPPCs to carry on the plantation drive.