PESHAWAR, June 16: Criticizing the proposed NWFP Forest Ordinance, the Sarhad Awami Forestry Ittehad (SAFI) at its regional convention at Kalkot (Upper Dir) has asked the government to modify the draft of the ordinance in accordance with the recommendations of the major stake holders before its promulgation.

The convention presided over by Maulvi Gul Noor Shah, who also heads a movement in Dir-Kohistan for recovery of royalty allegedly plundered by forest contractors, was largely attended by people belonging to different forest areas of Dir-Kohistan and Swat Kohistan.

Participants from Kalam, Bahrain, Madain of Swat-Kohistan, and Gawaldai, Lamotai and Thal, reached Kalkot, a forest area situated 71km from the main Peshawar-Upper Dir road, a day before the convention on Friday and remained engaged in consultations for finalizing their demands.

The participants unanimously adopted various resolutions through which they asked the government to establish forestry round-tables on regional basis.

Besides Maulvi Shah, the convention was addressed by Ameerzada Khan, a representative of SAFI from Swat-Kohistan, Ziarat Gul, representative from Dir-Kohistan, and Ameer Mohammed, an office-bearer of Youth Welfare Society for the Protection of Forests.

A group of Peshawar Press Club members, who attended the convention on invitation of SAFI, was briefed by Maulvi Shah and Amir Mohammad.

The speakers criticized the government for not accepting their century-old ownership rights. They asked the government to accept the ownership of thousands of people living in forest areas in Dir and Swat-Kohistan and provide royalty to them at the rate of 80 per cent instead of existing 60 per cent.

They said that for sustainable use of forest resources the ownership rights of people should be accepted and the role of the Forest Department should be reduced to consultation and technical issues.

The convention asked the government to stop harvesting and marking of trees in Swat-Kohistan till the issue of royalty is resolved in accordance with the net sale of timber instead of pre-fix prices. The participants resolved that they would only agree to the establishment of a Forest Development Fund if the forest owners or their representatives had also been given a say in its utilization and the fund would be deposited in a joint account managed by representatives and divisional forest officer concerned.

The speakers castigated the government for its failure to recover Rs190 million royalty allegedly plundered by forest contractors in Kalkot, Gawaldai and Lamotai areas of Upper Dir, and said that two inquiry commissions had recommended recovery from influential contractors.

About the royalty accumulated with the government, Maulvi Shah said that a stay order was earlier issued by a civil court in favour of contractors against distribution of the royalty accumulated with the Forest Department, but later the order was vacated by the court. Now, he added, the contractors had moved another court, which had fixed June 26 for hearing.

He warned of launching a movement for distribution of royalty from June 26, if the government did not distribute the same by that date.

He said that the forestry reforms process had various shortfalls and so far no step had been taken for the setting up of Forestry Commission which had important responsibilities in the entire process.