The lofty claims of the PTI government regarding “Green Pakistan Campaign” were rendered hollow by illegal logging mafia and officials collusion.
On the one hand, the government has been busy motivating people to plant maximum trees while on the other, tree cutting on a large scale has been going on, without any hindrance.
In Qambar, the headquarters of Qamber Shahdadkot, staffers of the municipal administration cut down hundreds of trees at Jinnah Park of the city.
Apathy and negligence on part of the district administration can be gauged from the fact that the uncalled-for logging was ordered by officials of the municipal administration without any solid necessity.
According to sources, the employees of the Qambar municipal administration cut and sold the trees on the orders of their officers.
The citizens of the area have expressed strong resentment against tree logging that too at a recreational site. “These trees were dozen of years old and were a source of great relief for the visitors,” they regretted, adding that these trees used to provide relief during loadshedding in summers.
They demanded of the Sindh government to take stern action against the officers who ordered the trees logging. “The wood theft worth millions of rupees has been committed with the collusion of the forest officials and the canal authorities,” the protesting citizens alleged.
Meanwhile, although the trees have been sold, the higher authorities have kept a criminal silence over the issue.
In Hafizabad, tree cutting along with canals has been underway with the connivance of the administration.
It has been learnt that the illegal logging mafia has been cutting trees along the canal between Hafizabad and Kaleki area.
Until now, the wood thieves have cut the trees worth millions of rupees with the cutting machines and removing it to an undisclosed place.
The forest department, however, has not issued any tender in this regard. Yet, the people suspected of wood theft, persist they bought the wood.
The illegal logging of trees not only contradicts the government’s claims of Green Pakistan, but also is causing heavy losses to national exchequer.