Waris Fayaz
Srinagar, Mar 14 : With a large number of fallen trees remaining unutilized across Jammu and Kashmir, the revenue generated from the timber auctions over the past two years has seen a steep decline, dropping from Rs 480 lakh to just Rs 124 lakh.
According to the data accessed by the news agency, it states that the multiple divisions in Kashmir have reported a substantial number of fallen trees, with the highest count recorded in Anantnag 2,150 trees & 3,573 logs, followed by Kupwara with 816 trees.
Srinagar has 205 trees, Baramulla 137 trees, Pulwama: 56 trees, while Jammu reported nothing, the data reveals.
The Minister incharge Forest, Ecology & Environment Department had earlier informed the Legislative Assembly that the enumeration of these trees is currently underway, with auctions yet to be conducted in the past two years.
The data reveals that the revenue generated by the Social Forestry Directorate has seen a significant decline over the past three years — in the year 2022-23 it generated Rs 480.00 lakh, in 2023-24 Rs 166.00 lakh while in 2024-25 (Till Date), Rs 124.00 lakh has been generated.
This drop in earnings has raised concerns about inefficiencies in auctioning timber resources.
Meanwhile, the officials clarified that fallen and dry trees within the Forest Department’s jurisdiction are handed over to the Jammu and Kashmir Forest Development Corporation (JKFDC) as per guidelines set by the Supreme Court’s Quality & Quantity (Q&Q) Committee in 1996.
The JKFDC is responsible for extracting and auctioning timber through government-approved channels.
Additionally, the Forest Department provides timber to locals for bonafide use under the Jammu Forest Notice (for Jammu) and Kashmir Forest Notice (for Kashmir), except for Deodar species, minister incharge had informed
