ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court was on Tuesday informed that since 2015 the forest department had recovered Rs1.1 million fine from people involved in the illegal cutting of trees in the Margalla Hills National Park.

In a report submitted to the court, the forest department explained that wood cutting in the area was a compoundable offence but there were 32 villages in the vicinity of the park which had no supply of natural gas.

The Supreme Court is seized with a suo motu case initiated on an application of former deputy attorney general Dil Mohammad Alizai regarding continued quarrying in the Margalla Hills National Park area.

In his application, Mr Alizai, who lived in Chaman Zar Hill Colony, near Bhara Kahu, alleged that some people were cutting trees in the dark but no one had ever bothered to check the denuding of the green area.

In addition to the jungle area near his house, Mr Alizai explained, he often witnessed cutting of trees in the area from Convention Centre up to Bhara Kahu.

The report said the department was using powers under the Islamabad Wildlife Ordinance 1973 and the Pakistan Forest Act 1927 to control encroachments and protect the trees.

The entire area is divided into four ranges which are further subdivided into compartments and blocks. The area is under the administrative control of a range officer, foresters and forest guards who are responsible to protect the trees from illegal/legal cutting.

The director (regional environments), director (forest) and all his subordinate officers have been declared as authorised officers to take action against any illegal activity in the national park area, it added.

No concession is allowed for the residents on cutting of green trees, the report said, adding the violators were fined. The offenders who refused to pay the fine were prosecuted in the court of the CDA magistrate.

For the protection and stoppage of illegal cutting of trees, special arrangements have also been made in the Islamabad area. However, due to administrative issues, these activities were limited.

The report said to overcome the shortage of 29 forest guards for the national park area, recommendations had been forwarded to the authorities concerned for recruitment purposes.

To control fires in the park area, a contingent of 600 officials perform duties in two shifts along with operational vehicles. Even helicopters are used for controlling huge fires, the report said.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2017