Srinagar, April 11(KNB): At a time when J&K administration is busy in fighting spread of Covid19, timber smugglers are having a field day in forest divisions in Hajibal, Khamoh, khandiyar Donawari and Kokliwan areas of district Baramulla.
Locals accused forest officials of acting as mute spectators to the massive felling of trees.
Meanwhile, a video has gone viral on social media reportedly somewhere of Baramullah or Kupwara forests shows cutting down of trees and smuggling fearlessly.
One of the local said,”The Smugglers are taking advantage of the lockdown and are looting our green gold without any fear of authorties. Forest officials should not lower the guard against the Smugglers.”
When Kashmir News Bureau contacted DFO Baramulla Parvez Ahmad he said, “The video gone viral on social media is baseless, this is not the case of smuggling, there are the locals collecting firewood and that is the concession granted byJ&K forest act.”
He further added, “Whenever we get complaints of timber smuggling we take immediate cognizance, the areas from where we received complaints of actual smuggling or damage, we have already lodged an FIR viz FIR no.18/2020 under IPC act section no.379.”(KNB)