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Army called in to fight fire in Kashmir forests

The Jammu and Kashmir government has sought the army's help to control the forest fires caused by Pakistani shelling near the Line of Control in the northern sector.

The fires have been blazing for the past few months. Thousands of trees have been burned.

State Forest Minister Chaudhry Mohammad Ramzan, in an interview to Radio Kashmir, said forces had to be called in as his officials could not approach the area, which the army has mined.

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, during his recent visit to Tangdar, situated five kilometres from the LoC, had seen the dark smoke emanating from forests, Ramzan said.

There were about 37 incidents of fire in the woods of Kashmir valley, particularly in the northern areas. There has been no rain in the valley in the past seven months and the dry grass catches fire easily, he said.

The minister couldn't put a figure to the losses his department suffered. He said he would seek finance from the Centre to procure sophisticated machines to counter forest fires.

Official sources said fires in the Chamal woods in Banihal area has destroyed scores of fir and pine trees in the last one week.

The officials added that the fires have also endangered wildlife.

The minister said the state has introduced stringent laws to deal with the timber mafia. Under the new Forest Act, 1998 a timber smuggler can be jailed up to 12 years and fined Rs12,000. The assembly passed the new act in its last session. It replaces the 1930 act.

The government has banned the felling of green and healthy trees, and export of unfinished and semi-finished timber products. Besides, a forest protection force has also been formed.

The minister said government has decided to set up 30 more forest divisions, in addition to the existing 30, at a cost of Rs1.05 billion in the next five years.

He claimed that since the present government assumed office in October 1996 about 65,000 cft timber were seized, 16 smugglers jailed.

UNI

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