The Himachal Pradesh Government has taken a decision to wind up the Flying Squad division of the Forest Department having its head office in district Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh. The action of the government will not only encourage and promote the forest mafia in the State but also embolden the officials who have been indulging in malpractices in the field.This action of the State Government is a regressive step, compared to the recent decision to make firearms available to forest officers so that they could take on the mafia successfully.