SWABI, Aug 10: The forest department has not taken any steps to stop the illegal felling of trees in Swabi district, it is learnt. The National Accountability Bureau had also taken notice of the dire situation and conducted raids a few days back in some areas and seized timber, sources said

Many forest department and some police officials are themselves involved in the timber mafia, sources said. It was also learnt that dry shisham was being used by police for cooking food at their mess.

A few months back when relations between traders and the forest department staff had deteriorated, traders threatened that they would hold a press conference to expose the illegal activities. The staff then held a meeting with the traders and settled all issues with them, sources said.

“We approached the district government and other officials concerned and even sought a prompt action against the people involved in the illegal cutting of shisham trees. We asked them why a free hand was being given to traders,” Moammad Sultan, a member of the Islahi jirga, said.

“During colonial times, no one dared to take even a branch of the shisham or any other tree but now the forest staff as well as traders were carrying out the illegal activity, which is dangerously affecting the environment of the area,” an elder Yuqab Khan said.

A virus is also threatening the shisham trees and many of them can be found dried out on the side of roads and canals. “When the dried out shisham trees were auctioned off, the staff concerned allowed traders to cut more than it was allowed to at throwaway prices,” an insider claimed.

Farmers growing tobacco are also cutting down the trees. They use the wood as fuel in tobacco distilleries in the absence of sui gas for curing the crop. A large number of distilleries are in Swabi since 45 per cent of the tobacco crop is produced here. The forest department did not plant any new trees in place of the dying shisham trees.

“The curing of one bhatti of tobacco crop costs around Rs 4, 000 to buy the wood used as fuel,” a farmer said, adding that “those who arrange it from other sources save that amount.”