ABBOTTABAD: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Forest Department has recommended a departmental inquiry into an incident in which a garbage vehicle of the Galiyat Development Authority (GDA) was allegedly found dumping waste inside the Bagnotar Reserved Forest.
According to official correspondence issued by the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), the Sub-Divisional Forest Officer (SDFO), Bagnotar, reported that on June 29, information was received from a resident, Rashid, about the alleged illegal dumping of waste in Compartment No. 2(iii), Batangi Mor, within the Bagnotar Reserved Forest.
Acting on the information, forest officials visited the site and found a GDA garbage vehicle bearing registration B-5554 parked inside the reserved forest. The vehicle’s driver was not present, while a quantity of garbage and construction debris had allegedly been dumped within the protected forest area.
The Forest Department stated that dumping waste inside a reserved forest is prohibited under Section 26 of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Forest Ordinance, 2002. As the vehicle was found unattended, forest officials shifted it to the SDFO Office for safe custody until the matter could be taken up with the relevant authorities.
According to the SDFO’s report, a detailed inspection carried out later the same morning found that the dumped waste had been removed by the GDA and the site had been cleaned.While acknowledging the prompt clearance of the debris, the DFO observed that the incident itself was a matter of serious concern, as unauthorized dumping within a reserved forest adversely affects the ecological integrity and environmental sustainability of the protected area.
In a letter addressed to the Director (Technical), GDA, the DFO recommended a thorough departmental inquiry to ascertain the circumstances under which the GDA vehicle was allegedly engaged in dumping waste inside the reserved forest.
