CM approves new Forest Act

LAHORE A decision has been made to amend the Forest Act 1927 in order to reduce the wooden theft and to control the rapidly diminishing forests across the province. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has approved the new Forest Act. According to the new amendment, the fine penalty imposed for wooden theft has been increased from Rs 500 to Rs 1 million maximum besides one year imprisonment and a ban has also been imposed to set-up a wooden factory near the forest land. While Rs 1 million has been fixed as penalty for grabbing forest land and ban on allotment of forest land to any other govt agency or private firm has been imposed. As many as 0.2 million acre forest land had been allotted to different government institutions, political figures, Danish School System and others heads due to which millions of trees had been wasted. It is pertinent to mention here that no new amendment has been made regarding those officials who are involved in the wooden theft.