Acting tough against the forest offenders, sleuths of Bhaderwah Forest Division seized two “illegal” planer machines here on Monday. Acting on a tip off about the use of planer machines illegally to manufacture timber products used in construction works, a team of Forest Department officials headed by Range Officer Shafqat Khakan Malik under the supervision of DFO Bhaderwah Chander Shekhar, raided two premises at village Sungli and seized two planer machines. “We have been getting information for some time that planer machines have been installed illegally and are being used to manufacture building material doors, windows on large scale from green timber extracted from the adjoining forests,” said Shafqat Khakan Malik, Range Officer Neeru Range. “Today we raided two premises belonging to Rafiq Butt and Basharat Hussain and seized two planer machines installed at their respective residential houses in Sungli village,” officer said, adding legal action will be initiated against the offenders.
