Three panels at work to fathom irregularities in 'scientific forest management'

Kathmandu - Bhisma Raj Ojha Two parliamentary committees have started investigation into the illegal felling of trees at several places of the country done in the name of scientific management of forest. The parliament stepped in the probe after the government initiated investigation by forming own probe committee.

The government had, through the decision of the Council of Ministers on May 28, decided to immediately impose a ban on felling of trees and collection, transportation and sale of timber from forests, reasoning that trees were being felled illegally in the name of scientific forest management. Stakeholder organisations had urged the government to reconsider its decision citing it had adverse impact on timber production.

Following this, the government on June 10 lifted the ban on the collection and supply of timber of other tree species except the Sal(Shorea robusta). It also formed a five-member high-level investigation committee under the coordination of Dr Netra Prasad Timsina. Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Forests and Environment, Dr Sindhu Prasad Dhungana is the member-secretary of the investigation committee. Dr Akhileshwor Lal Karna, Renu Shah and Kanti Rajbhandari are the members of the committee.

Committee convenor Timsina said that the committee will go on an on-site study from next week after concluding consultations on the policy-related and implementation aspects of the scientific forest management programme and forest conservation with the federal government officials concerned. The committee has been given two months to carry out a study on the destruction of forest and to submit report with recommendations for forest conservation and legal action against the guilty in illegal felling of trees in the name of scientific forest management.

Parliamentary committees have also shown their concern over this issue after news related to illegal lumbering taking place in the name of scientific forest management came on regular basis in the media and complaints regarding this also started coming. In this connection, the Public Account Committee under the House of Representatives has constituted a probe sub-committee with lawmaker Pradeep Yadav as its coordinator. Lawmakers Prem Bahadur Ale and Meena Subba are the members on the sub-committee.

The sub-committee is tasked with carrying out thorough study regarding the scientific forest management programme and submit a report on this to the committee. Before this, the committee had held discussions with the Secretary at the Ministry of Forests and Environment on various issues related to the scientific forest management programme, its present status, the reasons for rapid felling of trees in forest, its impact and consequences.

The sub-committee has been given one month 20 days to carry out the investigation and to submit its report. The subcommittee conducted monitoring in various districts including Kanchanpur, Kailali, Banke, Bardiya, Kapilvastu and Nawalparasi. With the extension of its term, it has planned to conduct monitoring in the eastern districts too, according to lawmaker Ale.

According to him, it was found during the inspection visit that there was random deforestation in the name of scientific forest management. Even the forest ministers at State, government employees and forest users' committee people were involved in such illegal work. The Kailali and Kanchanpur Division Offices hesitated to provide related documents on these activities.

The agriculture and natural resources committee under the House of Representatives had received complaints on random deforestation in the districts as Banke, Bardiya, Kailali, Kanchapur and Dang. In view the complaints and media reports, a subcommittee was formed under coordination of lawmaker Shanta Chaudhary to conduct field study and submit the report in a month.

Talking to the National News Agency (RSS), subcommittee coordinator Chaudhary informed that the field visits were made in the western districts and the subcommittee was planning for the same in the east. She also shared the information that there were the irregularities rife in the scientific management of forest.

The Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal (FECOFUN) has however demanded the lawmakers to conduct the study by not interfering with autonomous rights of the forest users' committee provided by the Forest Policy, Act and Regulation. The government had introduced the scientific forest management programme by preparing a work procedure in 2071 BS to in a bid to make the country self-reliant on woods by reducing the import of woods/timbers.