Loot of green gold goes on unabated in Tangmarg, peripheries
Baramulla, Dec 31: There seems to be no end to the loot of the green gold in the Tangmarg and other peripheries in the central circle of forest division as the illegal tree cutting goes unabated in these areas.
This has raised concerns against the authorities over keeping a check on the illegal tree cutting in the forest areas.
The locals have expressed concern over the unchecked tree cutting , who alleged that the smugglers were given a free hand by the authorities which will prove costly for the ecology of the area.
The locals complained that the smugglers in Gogaldara and Kalantra areas in Tangmarg forest areas were indulging in illegal cutting of trees haphazardly. The Tangmarg forest area falls in the central Kashmir circle of the forest division.
"A team of concerned officers should visit the area as various compartments of the forest area have been turned into a barren land," Ghulam Rasool, local resident said.
The residents said the smugglers have extensively damaged the forest area as no official visits the spot.
"We registered our complaints with the concerned officers but nobody visited the spot till date," the locals said.
The locals complained that scores of trees were cut in Shranz Fall area of Kalantra forest compartment near Baba Reshi road which has damaged the natural beauty of the area.
Greater Kashmir earlier carried a series of stories regarding the issue and highlighted that the unchecked encroachments and illegal earth-cutting are ravaging Tangmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
The cutting of trees and illegal constructions not only threaten the fragile ecosystem of this most sought-after tourist destination but also question the accountability of those entrusted to protect it.
Amid the complaints, the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Baramulla Minga Sherpa earlier told Greater Kashmir that special teams were constituted by the district administration to look into the violations of tree cutting and illegal earth cutting in Tangmarg area of the district.
Conservator of Forests Central circle of the forest Division, Tawheed Ahmad Deva when contacted said that a squad will be sent to the areas to check the situation on the ground.
"I will send a squad to the area. Action will be taken accordingly," Deva told Greater Kashmir.
Meanwhile, the Conservator of Forests, North Kashmir Circle Anup Kumar Soni said the green cover needs to be protected for the coming generations.
"People should take part in plantation drives instead of damaging the green cover which is a natural beauty," he said.
About the steps taken in tightening the noose against those indulging in tree cutting in north Kashmir circle, Anup Kumar Soni said that the department was in process of adopting technological interventions to ensure better conservation of forests.
