LAHORE, Jan 29: The absence of forests in the city district and lack of proper devolution of the Forests Department to the district level has reduced the District Forest Officer (DFO) to a mere nursery keeper.

The Divisional Forest Office located adjacent to the Forest Colony at the Ravi Link Road-Ravi Road junction is intact. The DFO office is housed in two small rooms on the periphery of the main office. One room with a small table and four or five chairs houses the DFO’s office. The clerk of the office has been housed in the other room.

The DFO has been doled out the control of six forest nurseries situated at Shamke Bhattian, Ferozepur Road, G.T. Road and Khera Pul. Saplings of Eucalyptus, ‘sukhchain’, ‘neem’, ‘keekar’, ‘kachnar’ are grown at these nurseries for various tree plantation campaigns.

The Forest Department has retained the control of the revenue generating Jallo Park and Ravi Park with its divisional office and entrusted the maintenance of these nurseries and trees along the canal and highways to the district office.

The Forest Department has awarded entry ticket contracts for the 456 acre Jallo Park for Rs2.4 million and the 65 acre Ravi Park for Rs210,000. The Ravi Park is situated adjacent to the Ravi bridge.