CHITRAL: The Village Council Forum (VCF), Chitral, on Sunday demanded of the government to take steps for stopping ruthless cutting of forest in Arandu Gol, which had been going on for the last four months.

Addressing a press conference here, VCF office-bearers, including Sajjad Ahmed, Naveed Ahmed, Abdul Qadir and others, alleged that deodar trees in the forest of Arandu Gol were being cut at the behest of those in power who gave legal cover to the illegal timber and encouraged harvesting.

They claimed that when the government was reported about the illegal cutting of timber, those at the helms of affairs did not invoke the law to punish the culprits, but instead legalised it by the provincial cabinet so as to purchase the timber from them.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2016