Rawalpindi: The Rawalpindi Forest Department has announced its decision to formulate new Terms of References (TORs) for forest protection following the directions of the department’s secretary, a news source reported.
During his visit to different forest lands in the district, the secretary instructed the officials concerned to come up with new TORs in order to protect the city’s forest cover. He added that the implementation of forest protection initiatives, under the government’s plantation campaign, was the need of the hour.
The secretary said that the department had to perform its role in mitigating environmental pollution levels; in addition to adopting a zero-tolerance policy towards deforestation. He also warned about strict action in case the department identified any links between its officials and the timber mafia.
In a similar development, District Forest Officer (DFO) South Waziristan Mohammad Saleem imposed a ban on the use of chainsaw in forests. He stated that chainsaw use was a major cause of deforestation since the said equipment was capable of cutting down massive trees within just minutes.
