Peshawar: The provincial cabinet has decided to form a committee to amend the Forest Act 2002 so that construction can take place in protected forest areas, a news source reported. The amendments have been under discussion for a while.
Mines & Minerals Department and Tourism Department have been looking to amend Section 33 of Forest Act 2002 which will allow construction to take place in barren and subsistence forests in the provinces, so it could be used for commercial purposes.
KP Minister for Mines & Mineral Development Dr Amjad Ali had stated last month that strict forest laws have caused precious minerals to lie unexplored and unutilised. The protection is to be removed only from barren lands falling under subsistence forest areas, so that land could be utilised.
