MURREE Around 7,000 kanals of forest land in Murree has been sold out for billions after being encroached by land grabbers with the support of some 'very influential figures,' an official told Dawn.

'This is worst kind of encroachment in the history and it became possible with the connivance of the forest department's staff and high-profile backers of the encroachers,' Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Javed Gill said.

In recent months, a chief minister's enquiry team was established with Capt (retired) Jehanzeb as its head which submitted its detailed report on the encroachment to the Punjab government.

As a result, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif ordered the transfer of officials found involved in the illegal activity and called for fresh demarcation by a 'credible agency' to identify the land grabbers and their supporters.

According to the enquiry report, the Federal Shariat Court Housing Society allegedly encroached 185 kanals of forest land.

When demarcation was carried out in 1992 by a senior civil judge Islamabad on the orders of the high court, it was confirmed that 185 kanals and nine marlas had been encroached.

Similarly, Oil and Gas Cooperative Housing Society allegedly encroached 800 kanals in the reserved forest No. 91 and 94 in 2004 with the connivance of the then DFO, Malik Ameer, a suspected land grabber and estate developer Faizan Azam and others.

The report also said Bahria Golf City purchased private land and during development, it bulldozed the pillars demarcating the forest land and allegedly encroached about 400 kanals covered with trees. It added the DFO Murree had sent a detailed charge sheet against the field staff of the forest department who helped the housing society encroach the precious forest land.

Likewise, more than 20 kanals of land was allegedly grabbed by Faizan Azam, an estate developer and contractor for the Atomic Energy Commission Employees Cooperative Housing Society, with the connivance of Naib Tehsildar Forest Sarfraz Ali, some officials in the revenue department and influential political figures of the area.

It is pertinent to mention that Mr Azam spent millions of rupees during the General Elections 2008 on installing dozens of advertisement board in favour of these political figures.

Javed Gill said about 4,000 kanals under the possession of encroachers had further been sold off for billions of rupees.

The land falls in the precincts of Bhurban and its other adjoining areas of Kaseri, Mussiari, Tappa Keri, Santhi and Hill Dolo.

Thousands of precious pine trees, which take years to grow, were chopped down but no action was taken against the perpetrators.

On the one hand the government is spending millions to advertise its plans for a cleaner environment, but on the other, thousands of kanals of forest land is being encroached by land mafia right under the nose of the provincial authorities.

Rural Areas Development Organisation (Rado) president Hafiz Saeed Abbasi said people expected that the new Punjab government would take action against encroachment, but their hopes had faded.

He said his organisation would continue its efforts to protect the forests and environment of Murree.

Javed Ahmad, a notable figure in the area, appealed to President Asif Ali Zardari, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to take serious notice of the encroachment on forest land.