GUWAHATI: Rampant felling of sal trees by suspected timber smugglers at Muduki-Gutipathar under Loharghat forest range near the Assam-Meghalaya border has prompted the All Rabha Students Union to appeal to the forest department for stringent action to check the menace.
“We demand that such smuggling, which has been rampant in the forest range for quite some time, be stopped immediately and those involved arrested,” Debojit Napha, adviser of the Borduar-Bholagaon unit of ARSU, told The Shillong Times on Wednesday.
Several sal trees were felled on Monday following which members of the students union visited the area.
“We could see at least seven stumps on the outer side of the forest. We suspect there could be many more trees felled inside. The timber is believed to be smuggled to saw mills in the adjacent areas under Jirang constituency in Ri Bhoi district of Meghalaya,” Napha said.
Sources estimate the market value of one cubic foot (CFT) of sal wood to be around Rs 2,200.
Residents suspect that the timber smugglers could be in cahoots with unscrupulous elements within the forest range office so as to carry out the activity so nonchalantly and for quite a long time now.
The forest range is not too far from Chandubi Lake, a natural water body (about 65km from Guwahati) in south Kamrup, which attracts many tourists during winter.
“The smugglers take at least two to three routes to transport the timber across the border uphill towards Meghalaya. A memorandum will be submitted to the West Kamrup forest division in this regard soon, requesting action against those involved and long term measures to prevent further depletion of forest cover in the area,” Napha said.