January 4, 2002	Friday	Shawwal 19, 1422

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THATTA, Jan 3: The afforestation wing of Sindh forest department has recovered Rs1.7 million fine from wood thieves here in the last couple of months and intensified vigilance to avert wood theft in the forests of Thatta district.

Official sources told Dawn that the forest department had filed eight cases with district police stations involving more than 30 influential offenders who reportedly are building pressure to compel the concerned authorities to withdraw the cases.

The department has also made its 28 staff members pay the penalty of Rs576,000 for their connivance with the offenders. The officials ranging from those in grade one to others in grade 16 have paid the penalties through their salaries in instalment.

Meanwhile show cause notices have already been issued to ten officials for compulsory retirement due to their inefficiency.

The forest department has also got vacated about 3,000 acres of its land forcibly occupied by the influential people and planted the same with Babool and eucalyptus on it.

It is learnt that in the last couple of years, a number of influential people in connivance with the revenue staff had fraudulently changed the proprietary rights of some 4,000 acres of Thatta forest land in their names.

The department conducted demarcation through a committee which identified the forest area and the illegal allotments were to be cancelled to restore the ownership of forest department.

So far about 1,200 acres have been vacated and Rs2.72 million have been recovered from the sale of standing crops on the forest land as a result of the demarcations.

Besides, out of 50 court cases of land disputes, 33 have been decided in favour of the department.