Inquiry ordered after trees cut without approval

KARACHI: The Regional Directorate of Colleges has set up a three-member fact-finding committee after trees were cut at Government Degree Boys College Gulistan-e-Johar, which is run by the provincial College Education Department and is located next to Karachi University.

According to the reported details, the college administration apparently carried out the tree cutting without obtaining prior approval from higher authorities. The committee has been directed to submit its findings to the Regional Director Karachi within three days.

It was reported that the trees standing behind the college building were cut on Sunday, with the holiday allegedly being used to carry out the work. The wood was then loaded onto a cargo motor rickshaw and taken out of the college premises.

A video circulating on social media shows the cut wood being transported on a motor rickshaw. In the footage, the person carrying the wood can be heard saying that permission for the tree cutting had been given by the college principal. However, it is still unclear whether the permission was allegedly given by the principal of the morning shift or the evening shift.

College sources said the trees had caught fire a few days earlier and had been burnt to the point of being unusable. However, the wood visible in the circulating video does not appear to be burnt.

The fact-finding committee was constituted by Regional Director of Colleges Gulab Rai. It comprises Professor Nasir Iqbal, principal of Adamjee Government Science College; Abdul Khaliq Rajpar, principal of Government Degree Boys College Sachal Goth; and Assistant Director Hussain Farooq Khan.

The committee has been tasked with visiting the college, inspecting the site, determining the number and condition of the trees, and recording statements from staff members. It will also fix responsibility for the incident.

In addition, the committee will examine whether the trees were environmentally beneficial and, if so, why they were cut down.

The case has also raised questions over the alleged removal and possible sale of the wood, as reported in the initial account of the incident. The inquiry is expected to clarify the circumstances in which the trees were felled and whether any rules were violated in the process.