QRF to combat Punjab timber mafia, says minister

MULTAN: The Punjab government has set a target of planting 700 million saplings in the next five years to combat growing environmental challenges and save the ecology. The government has also decided setting up Quick Response Force (QRF) to combat the timber mafia.

Addressing a press conference at Multan Circuit House on Tuesday, Punjab Forestry and Fisheries Minister Sibtain Khan alleged that the PML-N government had taken interest in commission-oriented projects by consuming public exchequer on cement and steel to make money and committed negligence in promotion of forestry, which had created threats to ecosystem. The present critical crisis of smog has directly linked to deforestation in the province. He said the Punjab government was enacting laws on this particular issue. No housing colony would be issued NOC without marking green area in the future, he added.

The minister revealed that only three per cent area has been covered with forests across Punjab. The PTI government in Punjab has increased the budget allocation to one per cent from 0.3 per cent allocated by the PML-N government. He said the Punjab government had decided giving motorbikes to forest guards with monthly bike allowance. He said officials would be empowered and more forest guards would soon be recruited.

He warned conducting crackdown on the timber mafia. The ministry is going to appoint special magistrates for quick trials of the cases against timber mafia. The government was adopting a clear policy on smog to save ecosystem, mango and dates orchards from smog because the farmers were facing reduction in production.

He appealed to citizens to plant at least one sapling in their homes. The government has launched a special campaign in educational institutions and hospitals for tree plantation. The ministry has decided setting up QRF in all the nine divisions of Punjab for taking stern action against the timber mafia.

He said the ministry has also decided launching special campaign for planting trees across the railways tracks and provincial highways. To a query, the minister said that restructuring of Punjab Wildlife Department was under way to indiscriminately provide opportunities of promotion to all employees.