Mafia deforests 60pc of worlds largest park

CHUNIAN - Throwing the Lahore High Court orders into the dustbin, the unbridled wood mafia in connivance with the forest officials are rapidly deforesting the worlds largest artificial forest and so far more than 60 percent of Changa Manga Wildlife Park has been deforested, TheNation has learnt. People from the surrounding villages are cutting the trees for their own petty benefits and now the situation here is pathetic. The mafia is beyond the reach of the law-enforcement agencies and authorities of the forest department as they are themselves involved in this money-making process. From dawn to dusk even at night, continuous outflow of illegal wood shows the consent of the law makers in this theft activity. There are many wood cutters in Changa Manga which are involved in cutting and selling theft wood. It is a profitable business here and workers in the forest department are themselves making money from this business. The Forest Department employees are now millionaire here just because of this theft game. All this dirty game is being backed by the political leaders and there are evidence for it. The Lahore High Court had previously banned wood cutting in Changa Manga. But later, the wood cutters managed to operate again. So far, about 60pc of the forest has turned into a plain land and they are still continuously destroying it. Precious and valuable theft wood is being sold here in daylight. No one is here to stop them, no one is concerned with this. Global warming is a fairy tail for the wood robbers as well as for the government of Pakistan. Hog deer, Indian peafowl, jackal, mouflon, nilgai and wild boar have become relic of the past. Now dogs, rats and cats have taken their place. The Changa Manga Wildlife Park was made by the British government in 1890 partly to provide wood fuel for the railways steam engines. This huge man-made forest is located 10 km east of the National Highway on the way from Lahore to Sahiwal. In addition, there is a water turbine, waterfall, and a childrens play area. A serpentine rail road takes visitors on a 50 km ride through the forest, and boating facilities are provided at the parks for boating on the beautiful Lunar Lake. Changa Manga Tourist Resort is situated 80 km from Lahore. The park is home to species of hog deer, Indian peafowl, jackal, mouflon, nilgai and wild boar. The Park is one of the three wildlife parks located in Lahore division, other two Jallo Wildlife Park and Lahore Zoo Safari, also called Woodland Wildlife Parks. A many people go to Changa Manga for picnic and merrymaking but a few are aware of the fact that they are visiting one of the largest irrigated and artificial forests of the world. Located some 70 kilometres south of Lahore in Chunian, the forest covers an area of 5,000 hectares (12,510 acres) and is one of the largest of its kind. The planting and irrigation of it took place in the 19th century in the British era for the Indian railways network. Today, it is the source of significant revenue for the state coffers. The thickly wooded forest is also a popular recreational area. Most of the trees belong to the family of species such as acacia nilotica (kikar) or morus alba (mulberry). Sprouting medium-sized trees of mulberry laden with fruit, numbering thousands; complete calmness; rushing streams; the chirping of wild birds, flowering plants; rest houses; wild animals and pleasant whistling of tram are just a few characteristic glimpses of the forest. The forest is a valuable treasure. Shisham, mulberry, bakaian, simbal, caster, frash, berry and eucalyptus trees are found in abundance. The Mulberry and Bakaian trees support our internationally recognised sports industry in Sialkot.