CHITRAL: The residents of villages situated near the chilgoza (pine nuts) forests have demanded of the government to impose ban on the transportation of chilgoza cones to down-country to ensure the conservation of forests and provide sources of employment to local people.

Rehman Elahi, chairman of forest conservation council, a civil society organisation, told the journalists here on Monday that the transportation of chilgoza cones from Chitral caused widespread concern among the local people due to its negative effects on the local job opportunities and forests.

He said that in the previous years, the nuts were separated from the cones in the villages situated nearby the forests in which hundreds of unemployed people were engaged on daily-wage basis who had earned a handsome amount of money during the season spreading over two months.

Mr. Elahi said that the emptied cones of chilgoza were also used as fuel during the winter season as alternate of oak wood which saved the oak forests from being cut.

He also urged the forest department to ensure friendly harvesting of chilgoza cones in order to make sure that the branches and twigs of the chilgoza pine trees were not impaired which would bear fruit next year.

Mr. Elahi said that the District Council had already passed a unanimous resolution, seeking ban on the transportation of chilgoza from Chitral but the quarters concerned were not paying heed to it.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2024