The timber mafia here has managed to convince officials of the forest department (Pakistan) to levy a nominal fine of Rs300 per cubic feet (cft) on the nearly 3 million cft timber illegally exploited from the forests of Kohistan district to transport it to the markets of Sindh and Punjab, sources said. The sources said that keeping in view the market value of the timber in Sindh and Punjab, which stands at Rs1,800 per cft, the government could itself purchase and transport the timber to earn billions of rupees. Whereas by levying a fine of Rs300 per cft would make the government earn a meagre amount.