KASHMIR NEWS ZONE CORRESPONDENT
GANDERBAL 17 JAN【KNZ】:Various depots in Ganderbal are without timber for last many years despite recovery of more than one lac cubic feet (cfts) of timber from ranges of Ganderbal forests.
Number of depot’s which include Sehipora,Gutlibagh,Babawayil,Wayilbala,Nunner,urpash,Arch,Manigam are dry and residents of these are up in arms against State forest corporations【SFC】for failing to provide them timber on time.
Bashir Ahmad Resident of Sehipora said, “SFC sanctioned me timber two years ago but, they didn’t provided me a single cft of timber. SFC has neglected our area.I am in dare need of timber as my house is under construction”.
Gh Rasool who is waiting for timber for last 2 years said, “Thousands of cfts have been sanctioned to people in various areas of Ganderbal but people have waiting for years for timber.
Nonavailability of timber is forcing poor people to buy commercial timber at high rates.”
Sources said there is huge disparity in dumping of timber in Ganderbal as compared to Bandippora as these two districts came in same forest division. Bandipora depots are dumped with extra timber which in turn creates timber crisis in Ganderbal.Political pressure is main cause of the disparity.
When Kashmir News Zone-KNZ contacted Division forest officer Ganderbal and Bandipora, Altaf Qurashi, he said, “There is huge demand of timber in Ganderbal. We have received over twenty thousand applications for timber in 2017. we have distributed timber to five thousand beneficiaries so far.
We are dumping stock and very soon all will be provided with sanctioned timber. And, there is no disparity in dumping of timber. “KNZ
