CHITRAL, Jan 14, 2010: The residents of Shiekhandeh of Rumbur valley have demanded of the government to take a stern notice of the illegal cutting of forest in the area by a contractor through a fake Joint Forest Management Committee (JFMC).

Addressing a press conference here, the residents Abdus Saboor Qureishi, Abdul Shakoor, Mehrabuddin, Saifullah Jan, Sher Wali and others alleged that a contractor, Muhammad Yaqoob, was illegally cutting the trees in the forest which was already endangered.

They said that the government had decided to form JFMCs to oversee and manage the forest affairs consisting of local people but in the formation of JFMC Rumbur, the local people were ignored. – Zahiruddin