Kupwara, February 18 (KNO) : Inhabitants of Handwara and Kralpora block are anguished over the state Administration’s decision of shifting the State Forest Corporation division from, Handwara to Baramulla and Kralpora to Kupwara with thousands of residents depending on the forest divisions.
Despite functioning in the areas for decades, now the decision has came out as an utter shock to the residents claiming to go for prolong protests and shutdown if order not revoked, the locals from twin blocks said.
Several residents from both the blocks talking to KNO said the decision of shifting the State Forest Corporation divisions from their respective existing functional places isn't a positive step from state administration as it has directly affected the residents of far-off places like Teethwal, Keran, Pherkian, Tangdhar and other parts of Kralpora Tehsil.
While as from Handwara Sub District, the state Administration has ordered of shifting the division to Baramulla without any prior public notice. The residents have shown a serious resentment over the decision of State administration for ordering the shifting of SFC Division Kralpora to Kupwara and Handwara to Baramulla.
While as the class fourth employees questioning anonymity said with the orders of shifting the blocks, not only people but they too will suffer as they can’t afford daily fair from different parts of district to reach the respective divisions since government hasn't hiked the salary of employees. They said that, it will also affect they duty since the government took the decision without any prior notice and also not took the employees into the consideration.
The employees also claimed that, with the shifting of divisions from existing places, timber smuggling will also increase, since there is already hike in the selling rate of forest wood. “We have been giving away almost over two thousand sanctions yearly,” officials said.
The residents talking to KNO said they will go for prolong shutdown if the order isn't revoked at the earliest. “We will hit the streets in case state administration won't take our demand seriously and revoke the order,” they said.
The residents of Kralpora division claimed that, SFC Division here was functional from 1977, since then thousands of people have availed the Forest wood for different purposes on various occasions but with the decision of Administration of shifting its has sent a wave of anger across the district. The residents have appealed the Governor Administration to revoke the orders at the earliest and not to force them to go for prolong shutdown and protest programmes.(KNO)