SRINAGAR: The Forest Department has lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against seven residents of Mamer Kangan in Ganderbal district for allegedly attacking forest officials during a plantation drive.
According to the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the Sindh Forest Division, the incident took place in compartment 69 of the Sindh Range, where a forest team was engaged in afforestation on an eight-hectare plot. The project, funded by the Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), was sanctioned in 2022 by the Regional Office of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. It was intended to compensate for forest land diverted for the Thune to Badipathri road.
Work began earlier this month but was allegedly disrupted by the accused, who are said to have instigated villagers to attack the forest personnel with stones and sticks. The police have booked them under sections 115(2) and 132 of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita, which deal with provocation to cause harm and assault on government employees performing their duties.
The DFO underscored the environmental significance of the project and urged local residents to cooperate, calling for constructive dialogue to ensure the initiative’s peaceful completion.
