Govt says no data has been maintained on timber allocation to tribal communities
JAMMU, FEB 4: The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Wednesday informed the legislative assembly that it does not maintain specific records on timber distribution to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) population, raising questions about the monitoring of resource allocation in the union territory.
The information was part of a written government reply to a query by People’s Democratic Party (PDP) legislator Waheed-ur-Rehman Para during the ongoing budget session.
According to official data tabled in the House, significant volumes of timber were extracted from Kashmir’s forests over the last five years.
The figures show the North Kashmir Circle recorded its highest extraction of 13.979 lakh cubic feet in 2022-23, while the South Kashmir Circle saw a peak of 7.354 lakh cubic feet in 2020-21.
The government, however, stated in its reply, “No separate data regarding ST beneficiaries is maintained by the J&K Forest Development Corporation Limited.”
It said timber is currently allotted “on a first-come, first-served basis” as per a 2018 government order, with no dedicated system to track or prioritise the tribal population. (KNS)
