‘Illegal sawmills on the rise in WJH’

JOWAI: The District Administration, particularly the Forest Department in West Jaintia Hills, has allegedly failed to take action against illegal sawmills operating in the area thereby violating the Supreme Court order that states that sawmills can be operational only within the industrial estate. “Trucks loaded with furnished timber products are transported from West Jaintia Hills to other states, especially Assam as Forest officials fail to detect these vehicles, most of them 12 wheelers, which are well covered with tarpaulin,” sources said. “Sawmills are being set up in remote places at Mowkaiaw, Sahsniang, Mukroh and Barato among others. “These sawmills are set up a few 100 metres away from the main road where the area is covered with forest and bushes and hence cannot be seen from the state roads,” a source said. In this regard, two NGOs-the Niaw Wasa Youth Federation (NWYF) and the Chdooh Ri Jaintia Wamaya (CRJM)-have jointly written to the District Forest Officer complaining against the increase in the number of illegal sawmills in West Jaintia Hills. The NWYF and the CRJM have also warned that if the District Administration and the Forest department fail to take appropriate action, they will file a petition with the NGT in this regard.