SHILLONG: Days after a kerosene smuggling case was reported from Araimile area in West Garo Hills, a different version of the case has emerged with the arrested persons justifying their stand stating that the kerosene oil was procured for the wholesalers of the State.
This case which was reported on November 20 at the Araimile Beat House Police wherein police patrolling team detected one Mahindra Pick-up (ML-08A-3463) driven by Ramesh Das was carrying illegally procured kerosene oil approximately six drums meant to be smuggled to Assam.
“During the course of investigation, it was reported that the commodity was procured for the wholesalers, we however, need to further investigate into the case,” West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, Pravin Bakshi said adding that the owner of the fair price shop who instructed the procurement of kerosene oil has even come forward and shown the allotment papers.
Meanwhile, when asked about the rampant timber smuggling taking part in the district and other parts of Garo Hills, Bakshi said that as far as forest reserves are concerned, forest guards have been put in place to check these kinds of illegal activities. Recently, a senior government official have stated that these smugglers were supported by the banned militant outfit, GNLA in carrying out these activities at the same time, issued threats to the forest officials operating in the region.
“The responsibility to safeguard the forest falls not only on the government but the community and all the stakeholders and such threats were usually issued at forest guards operating in forest which does not falls within our jurisdiction,” the DC said adding that in such cases, “We have advice them to constantly keep in touch with the respective police outposts and report such cases at the earliest.”
He also mentioned that shortage of man-power is one problem which is attributed to the increase of timber smuggling in the region. “If only enough people are deployed to perform round the clock duty in the reserve forest areas, the problem could be curbed to a large extend,” he added.