Mr Alhassan Azong, Member of Parliament for Builsa South, has sent an appeal to opinion leaders and the constituents to check the illegal felling of trees in the area.
The worried MP said he was at a loss as to why repeated appeals to halt the practice had fallen on deaf ears, as non- residents continue to invade communities in the area to illegally cut down trees and go Scot free.
He has therefore appealed to traditional and opinion leaders, as well as concerned residents to join in the crusade against the practice which threatens the green cover, damages the fauna and likely to negatively rainfall patterns, with attendant reduced crop production.
Mr Azong, who is also Minister of State in Charge of Public Sector Reforms, made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra.
He wondered why the negative practice persisted, and was of the view that the illegal logging by non-residents is being dome with the secret support of some of the traditional rulers in the area.
Mr Azong cautioned against the practice, warning that all must engage in looking out for the illegal loggers “since neither trees nor the effects of illegal logging wear party colours.
“We can’t sit down for people from wherever to come here to do illegal things here; we must all be alert and protect the trees from being cut indiscriminately.”
The Builsa South lawmaker suggested to the residents be vigilant and seek support of the security agencies to arrest the perpetrators, and impound the vehicles into which the illegally cut trees are loaded.
Furthermore, culprits should be prosecuted for any illegal felling of trees, and made to plant trees to reclaim the plant cover they have destroyed.
Mr Azong, said he had had discussions with the Regional Minister, the Forestry Commission, and the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources on the issue on how best to tackle it.
He stressed that all must collaborate to protect the trees for the future.
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