The Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday said the forest protection force will be reorganised to break the nexus between some government officials and timber smugglers and vowed to deal with the issue with iron hand.
Forest and Environment Minister Mian Altaf Ahmad told the state Assembly that rules for Forest Protection Force would be framed within two months to make the vital organ of the forest department effective.
Further, he said government is ready to open new forest protection units in uncovered areas to check smuggling.
"For this purpose, the forest department would be reorganised, and a Gamma unit of a forest protection force has already been set up at Doabgah, about 10 kms away from Zainagair in Shopian district," he said.
The department has also registered 2,072 damage cases during the decade and out of them, 122 have been registered with the police and 227 have been challenged in the court of law, Ahmad said.
Dossiers have been framed against the notorious timber smugglers and referred to the District Magistrate concerned for detention of the culprits under Public Safety Act, he told the Assembly.
{{/usCountry}}Dossiers have been framed against the notorious timber smugglers and referred to the District Magistrate concerned for detention of the culprits under Public Safety Act, he told the Assembly.
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