PESHAWAR, Aug 10: The NWFP Forest Department is preparing rules and regulations for raising a forest force to put and end to illegal cutting and smuggling of trees by the powerful timber mafia.

Under the proposed plan the department will induct 500 people in the forest force in the first phase who will be equipped with AK-47 assault rifles, communication tools and other necessary equipments.

The department’s chief conservator Ghazi Merjan told Dawn here on Tuesday that they had drafted certain rules for the creation of forest force, which would be sent to the government for final approval.

He said that the government was providing 1,000 AK-47 rifles, which had been confiscated by the police department in various encounters and recovered from smugglers. He said that the force strength would be increased with the passage of time.

Under the NWFP Forest Ordinance, 2002, the department will create the force to protect forest resources in the province, which are on the verge of depletion.

The department requires about 3,000 men for the forest force to properly manage their responsibilities, but due to lack of resources 500 men will be engaged in initial phase.

Mr Merjan said that the new force was likely to be raised within next three months as the government had agreed to provide resources for the plan. He said that the new force would be granted limited powers to use it in special circumstances.

The concerned department will impart training to the new force and give weapons, vehicles, uniform and other equipments to curb illegal movement of timber and chopping of trees.

At present the department has forest guards who are not carrying any weapons and helpless to challenge the strong timber mafia, officials said. The government will turn these forest guards into the forest force.