Sindh govt to take action against encroachment of state lands

[Naveed Yaseen]

Karachi
Sindh government has decided to take stern action against encroachers, who have occupied forest land and cleaned trees for cultivation.

This was stated at a national seminar on Forest Conservation, organised jointly by Sindh Forest and Environment ministries at a local hotel on Saturday. Speakers at the seminar emphasised the need to initiate reforestation to stop salinity and further land degradation in the province.

In this regard, the first action has been taken to retrieve 2,000 acres of forest land in Thatta district, which was occupied by locals who have the support of the former government, said Sindh Forest Minister, Dr Zulfiqar Ali Mirza, while talking to journalists.

The minister said during the previous provincial government the concerned authorities destroyed the forest wealth, which is now threatening the ecosystem. Forest Conservator Thatta district Riaz Ahmed Wagan said the department has fixed August 12, 2008 to auction the annual contract of crops to the parties interested. This move to take the occupied forest land back may be expanded to other districts to preserve it.

Aijaz Ali Nizamani, another Forest Conservator emphasised the need to change the policy of lease and extend partnership with the forest community people for the forest conservation. He explained that the government should introduce new schemes as without incentive it cannot preserve the forest.

The aims of the seminar were to collect recommendations from experts and civil society organisations to design the future forest policy.

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