Construction activities picked up pace without paying any heed to legalities. In several districts, residents allege that builders encroached on land, particularly the greenbelt, where construction is prohibited. Hundreds of pine and cypress trees were felled in forests and smuggled out of the state by timber mafia. The most brazen act of illegality was that even residents started felling walnut trees in broad daylight, which is protected in the region.
Under the Jammu and Kashmir Preservation of Specified Trees Act, 1969, a walnut tree can neither be felled nor pruned, even if it stands on private land, without permission from the revenue department. It has got the special status mainly to protect the walnut economy. Kashmir accounts for over 90 per cent of India’s walnut production and is a major exporter of the nutritious nut. Its timber has a high demand in the state’s handicrafts industry, which is the second largest after fruits in the valley.
This story is from the November 16, 2019 edition of Down To Earth.
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This story is from the November 16, 2019 edition of Down To Earth.
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