CHITRAL, June 1: Residents of Kalash valleys of Bumburate, Birir and Rumbur have demanded of the government to lift ban on transportation of timber of fallen and dead trees to market.

Speaking at a press conference here on Friday, the Kalash represented by Ubaidur Rahman, Unnat Baig, Bahram Shah and others said that different parts of the forests were periodically harvested after 25 years where fallen and dead trees had accumulated in large volume.

They said that the forest department had marked the sections of forest flanking Kalash valleys and the process of transportation of dry and dead wood was yet to start. They claimed that certain people were making false hue and cry about deforestation.

They regretted that the government had stopped transportation of timber, which if not shifted to timber market, would start decaying and lose its market value.

The Kalash residents said that as per forest policy, 80 per cent of the income from the sale of fallen and dead wood went to the local community. They said that residents of the valleys were very poor, as they had no other source of income because of small, scattered pieces of agricultural land.

They said that the precious wood of deodar would lose its quality and market price if it was not shifted to market. The residents warned that if ban on transportation of wood to timber market was not lifted they would also stop collection of fuel wood of oak from the forests in winter season.