CHITRAL, July 24: Elders of southern Chitral villages have said that forest cover in their areas is quite safe and commercial scale harvest of old deodar trees should be allowed.

Speaking at a press conference here the other day, the elders, including Ahmed Saeed, Rahmat Karim, Anzar Gul and Haji Shafa, also called for stopping propaganda against cutting of forests for commercial purposes. They said that people of the forest-covered areas had been facing abject poverty and had no other source of earning their livelihood.

They said that no commercial harvesting of the forest had been carried out since last three decades and substantial amount of wood was decaying in the forest where the mature and ageing tree had fallen after completing their physical age.

They contended that commercial scale harvesting of older trees would pave the way for growth of saplings and the forest.

They alleged that one of the opponents of cutting of forests, Sirajul Mulk, had used a big volume of deodar wood in construction of his hotel.

They said that if conservation of environment was so dearer to him why Mr Mulk used a bulk of wood in construction of his hotel.

They asked the government to probe the alleged use of illegal timber in the hotel.

NGO LAUNCHED: An NGO named Foundation for Integrated Development Action (Fida) was launched in Mastuj town of upper Chitral here the other day.

Speaking on the occasion, Fida manger Zaheeruddin said that the NGO would work in health, education, drinking water and women development sectors in remote areas of the district.

He said that the organisation would also take initiatives for resolving disputes between people at local level. He said that Fida had earlier carried out such activities in D.I. Khan and South Waziristan.