Qazi Shoaib Khan
ATTOCK, /DNA/ – The Deputy conservator forest department ATTOCK Syed Nadeem Abbas while briefing the media on Thursday has told that crack down is going on against the influential tembar mafia to discourage the illegal cutting, smuggling and theft from the state owned forestry territorial boundary of interprovincial bordering district ATTOCK.
Responding different questions of the media persons, Syed Nadeem Abbas said that the illegal movement of Wood and it’s manufactured items without any lawful permission from district ATTOCK towards other parts of the country is a crime under the forest laws in vogue which is being handled with iron hands.
The persons involved in this heinous crime will be taken to task with imprisonment of five years along with fine of rupees ranging from one lac, ten lacs upto fifty lacs besides seizure of the smuggled woods. He further said that the cutting of woods from the state forest territory is the non bailable offense under the law.
He also said that the registration of wooden business is being expedited to regulate the illegal activities in the district. He also warned the violators of tembar in their own interest to avoid this offense failing which stern action will be initiated against them. He said the handlers and facilitators including black sheep of forest department if found will also be punished both through criminal and departmental proceedings.
He also said that police stations, pickets and magistrates of this department are also separately being set up to proceed the forest crimes with the respective forest ranges of the Punjab province. The public awareness move is also being launched through banners, seminars to aware the general people about the importance of tree plantation and it’s preservation making the environment more soft and clean in nature he added.
