ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has admitted unchecl(ed cutting of trees in Islamabad but claimed that the area highlighted by a citizen in his application to the Supreme Court was located in the jurisdiction of the Punjab forest department, not in the Margalla Hills National Park.

The civic agency is likely to present its report to a three-judge Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, which will resume the hearing of the application on Wednesday.

The CDA has prepared the report in com-pliance of the Oct 6 directions of the apex court on the application moved by former deputy attorney general, Dil Mohammad Alizai, during a suo motu case about the continued quarrying in the Margalla Hills National Park area.

In his application, Mr Alizai, who lives in Chaman Zar Hill Colony, 17 Mile, near Bhara Kahu, alleged that some people were cutting treesin the darkin the areabutno one ever bothered to take action against them.

In addition to the forest near his house, Mr Alizai said he often also witnessed cutting of trees in the area stretching from Convention Centre to Bhara Kahu.

But the CDA report stated that its directorate of environment could not take actionagainst the cutting of trees in that area as did not fall under its administrative control. It said the Punjab forest department checkpost was located in the main Bhara Kahu Bazaar on the Murree Expressway.

For the protection and conservation of the national park area, the report said, the authority was using powers vested with it under the Islamabad Wildlife Ordinance 1973, and the Pakistan Forest Act 1927 for controlling encroachments and protecting the trees.

The entire area is divided into four ranges under the administrative control of the range officer, foresters and forest guards who are responsible to protect the trees from cutting.against the cutting of trees in that area as did not fall under its administrative control. It said the Punjab forest department checkpost was located in the main Bhara Kahu Bazaar on the Murree Expressway.

For the protection and conservation of the national park area, the report said, the authority was using powers vested with it under the Islamabad Wildlife Ordinance 1973, and the Pakistan Forest Act 1927 for controlling encroachments and protecting the trees.

The entire area is divided into four ranges under the administrative control of the range officer, foresters and forest guards who are responsible to protect the trees from cutting.The director (regional environment), the director (forest) and all his subordinate officers have been declared as authorised officers to take action against any illegal activity in the national parl< area, the report said.

However, woodcutting is a compoundable offence and no concession is allowed even to the residents of the 32 villages around these areas despite the fact that gas was not available to a majority of the inhabitants, the report said, adding if someone was found cutting trees illegally, a fine was also imposed on them.

Those offenders who refuse to pay the fine are prosecuted in the court of the CDA magistrate, the report said.

For the protection of trees and the stoppage of their illegal cutting, special arrangements have also been made in the Islamabad area.

Referring to the alleged eruption of a fire in the forest area, the report said the area mentioned in the petition did not relate to the national park area where elaborate arrangements were in place for the protection of the trees against fires during the summer season.

To control fires in the park area, a contingent of 600 officials perform duties in two shif ts along with operational vehicles, and even helicopters are used for controlling huge fires, the report said.

These of ficials also perform duties for monitoring and controlling fires in the wooded area.