Ganderbal:- 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.
The incident took place in compartment 69 of the Sindh Range, where the forest team was carrying out afforestation on an 08-hectare land under the Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) project.
This initiative was approved in 2022 by the Regional Office of the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change as compensation for forest land diverted for the Thune to Badipathri road.
According to officials, work began in early February but was disrupted when the accused allegedly incited villagers to attack the forest staff using stones and sticks. In response, the authorities have booked them under sections 115(2) and 132 of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita, which deal with provoking individuals to cause harm and assaulting government employees on duty.
The Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the Sindh Forest Division Iqbal Ahmad underscored the project’s significance for ecological balance and urged local residents to support afforestation efforts through constructive dialogue rather than confrontation.