One of the district magistrates in south Kashmir climbed a full one day’s trek yo the highlands in the district of his jurisdiction and was surprised at the sight of what he saw. Thousands of precious pine trees gone. Not even a trail or trace left behind. Shocked beyond belief the administrative head of the district ordered an inquiry and set up drone cameras to monitor the activities of the ‘green gold’ smugglers.
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Though we appreciate the effort of the smugglers but still some serious questions remain unanswered. How was the loot going on under the watch of a forester, a range fficer, a Director of Forest organization and then eventually under the watch of the district magistrate? Was the entire population so complicit in this crime that no one uttered a word to authorities. It is hard to believe given the fact that in such a big wood heist there are always aggrieved parties, the ones who do not get the desired share. It is highly improbable that there was not even a single aggrieved party in this case and nobody complained. May be the heist was so big that everyone among the smugglers got more than what they had desired. So nobody told a soul!
We cannot expect smugglers to act as noblemen in the times of coronavirus but there is a law enforcement department entitled to take action against the wrong acts. Why was administration so lax that the sound of thousands of trees being axed did not reach anyone?
This case deserves a thorough investigation. If the union territory law department wishes we can get help from forensics and other investigation agencies from outside the state. Forests are our precious resources. We need to protect them at all costs.
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