PESHAWAR, June 15: The NWFP Forest Department has sought Rs60 million from the provincial government for the purchase of weapons for forest guards, officials said.

The department has planned to equip its 3,000 forest guards with light arms and other necessary equipments to use it under special circumstances.

Chief conservator forest Mumtaz Khan told Dawn here on Tuesday that his department had put forward two proposals to the provincial government either to equip forest guards with certified arms or provide funds to the department to purchase weapons in the market.

He said that under the NWFP Forest Ordinance, 2002, forest guards had been declared as a force to ensure protection of forest resources in the province. At present the 3,000 guards are protecting total 781,687 hector forest-covered area in the province without weapons.

The forest department had already planned to purchase light motorboats to check smuggling of timber in Indus River and Tarbela Lake. Under section 74 (3) of the ordinance the forest force shall be equipped with such arms and ammunition, vehicles, vessels, tools, equipment and communication system as may be deemed appropriate and necessary by the government.

Officials said that in the current circumstances forest guards are helpless to protect themselves or forest resources against powerful members of timber mafia. The civil society groups including the Sarhad Awami Forestry Ittehad (SAFI) has opposed the move, stating that the constitution of forest force under the NWFP Forest ordinance, 2002, as barbaric and against the basic principles envisaged in the forest policy.

The members claimed that the concept of joint forest management was given in the policy which meant that the community would be involved in protection of forests instead of formation of a forest force. They believed that the force would be misused against innocent people in forest areas.