TURA: As many as nine illegal timber mills that were in operation in the Tikrikilla region of West Garo Hills, bordering Assam, were dismantled by Forrest and police teams on Saturday.
The illegal timber saw mills that were in operation at Pedaldoba, Hatogaon, Belguri, Chamaguri and Naguapara were raided by joint teams of Forrest and police personnel and a large number of timber along with heavy machinery seized.
The raids come after a previous operation in the plain belt region of Hallidayganj and Chibinang where a large number of illegal saw mills were detected and subsequently closed down.
“The joint team (District Level Special Task Force Committee (DLSTFC), which includes forest, police and district administration officials, seized nine mills and confiscated timber, machines and the like from the area,” said DFO, Sachin Gavade shocked one of the teams in the raid.
The DLSTFC further identified the owners of the mills which included Salseng Marak and Manik Sangma (Chamaguri), Kalu Sangma (Pedaldoba), Dibrugarh Rabha (Belguri), Lakhan Rabha and Arun Boro (Naguapara) as well as an unknown mill owner in Hatogaon.
Timber from the reserve forests of East and South Garo Hills have been frequently felled by timber smugglers and transported to the sawmills in the plains belt region of West Garo Hills where illegal saw mills prepare the wood for export to potential customers across the state in neighbouring Assam.