Forest staff foiled the smuggling of timber in Chitral.
CHITRAL: The staff of the forest department recovered the valuable Deodar wood from the secret stashes of the truck going from Chitral to Peshawar at the Broadham Forest check post and seized the truck and the wood.
A case was registered under the Forest Act against the accused driver and cleaner along with the truck and presented in the Forest Magistrate’s Court, from where the accused were sent to the District Jail Chitral on judicial remand. Later on they were released from jail on bail.
According to details, Sher Hassan Forest Guard and Shahid Alam Bbarrier man on duty at Baraddam Forest Check Post of Tehsil Darosh which is located near Lowari Tunnel at four o’clock in the morning, a truck (ten tires) going from Chitral towards Dir. district) was stopped suspiciously and searched on the basis of great skill and technique, then the secret boxes made in the truck from were forest staff recovered most valuable wood of Ddeodar which had been hidden in secret and hidden, shelf of truck beneath its body and behind the driver seat.
Truck No. TKM 865 in Lasbela, Balochistan, under the body of the truck and behind the driver’s cabin, secret boxes were made that were not visible from the outside, which were hidden by installing secret nut bolts. Which can be used for timber smuggling and 125 pieces of grazed wood were recovered from these trucks.
The Forest Magistrate’s Court registered a case against Zeeshan son of Sulaiman Shah Resident of District Nowshera Kati Hail Mohalla Panah Hail and Kifayatullah son of Abdul Qayyum resident of Mutta Mittal Khel Tehsil Shabqadar District Charsadda for the crime of illegal smuggling of precious wood through hidden shelfs of trucks. The court has released the accused on bail after sending them to jail on judicial remand.
In this regard, Sub-Divisional Forest Officer Drosh South Yusuf Farhad told our correspondent about these secret boxes in trucks and said that since 2018, three 10 -wheeler trucks with secret boxes have been seized but the accused were released from the court. . However, not only wood but any contraband can be smuggled through such secret boxes. This truck was also caught a month ago but may be released from court he expected.
In response to a question, he said that if there are habitual criminals who are professional smugglers and for this purpose, they specially made secret chambers and shelf in trucks, oil tanks, which can be used for smuggling precious wood or for other purposes. Therefore, such vehicles should be impounded by the government so that they cannot use them for timber smuggling or any other purpose in the future.
Sub-Divisional forest Officer Yusuf Farhad added that apart from them, trucks and small vehicles were caught hiding under the marble and hiding in the scrub at different times.
All these confiscated timbers are brought to the forest depot and auctions are held on 3rd of every month after the decision of the courts in which people from all over the country participate and the highest bidder buys the timber.
Yusuf Farhad says that he along with his staff raided various Godowns (warehouses) of very influential people and recovered wood.
Regarding the details of pending cases and daily proceedings in the courts, SDFO said that about 400 cases are still pending in the courts, the accused have been released from the courts with minor fines. Goes, but the trucks or Datsun pickups used in this smuggling are not confiscated, due to which everyone considers timber smuggling as an easy business and tries again and again.
The forest department complains that the court does not levy even 10% of the fine prescribed by the forest officer, the accused involved in smuggling are influential and escape from the courts.
In present ten-wheeler truck has been caught by the staff from Baradam Forest check post recovered illegal timber in a very smart and technical manner, although the secret compartments in the truck have been made with great skill and secret nut-bolts that can be searched or used for timber smuggling .
The political and social circle of Chitral has appealed to the higher judiciary and the authorities to give severe punishment to such habitual criminals as well as impose heavy fines on them and those who are professional i.e. habitual smugglers regularly use trucks for this nefarious purpose. Make pickups or oil tankers and make secret shelters in them. If such vehicles are confiscated by the government, it will be possible to prevent the illegal cutting of forests and smuggling of valuable natural resources.
Report by Gul Hamaad Farooqi.
