Six people arrested for cutting trees

MANSEHRA: The Forest department in collaboration with district administration and police has arrested a group of people for cutting trees in the Behali area.

“We have arrested six people who while challenging the ban imposed by the government on the cutting and transportation of trees chopped forest and attempted to transport the wooden beams,” Murtaza Khan, the Sub-Divisional Forest Officer Siran, told reporters here on Saturday.

A joint team of district administration, Forest department and police led by Assistant Commissioner of Mansehra Quratul Ain on a tip-off raided a forest in the Behali area and arrested six suspects cutting trees.

Murtaza Khan said the Forest department, district administration and police were now jointly working to eradicate the deforestation and transportation of the wooden beams in Mansehra and the rest of the Hazara division.

KP government imposed a ban on forest cutting and transportation of wood beams across the province by July 25 this year.