TURA: Garo organizations in North Garo Hills have lodged a complaint with the state home department accusing a police official of releasing a timber laden truck that was believed to have taken illegally sawn from the forests of East Garo Hills.
Groups such as the GSU, AAYF, FKJGP, AGPF, ADE, FAF and Mother’s Union of the region complained to the state home minister James Pangsang K Sangma accusing the police officer in charge of the Wageasi anti Dacoity camp of allowing a timber truck which had been detained to go scot free.
These organizations stated that the Wageasi AD camp had detained the truck with the timber on the 25th of this month for allegedly ferrying illegally sawn timber from the forests of Rongjeng in East Garo Hills.
While the official has claimed that the truck carried the necessary transit papers, the agitating organizations point out that the said police officer allowed the truck to leave with it’s consignment without verifying with forest officials about the origin of the timber.
Illegal felling and smuggling of timber has been rampant across the forests of East Garo Hills for many years and the situation has become more serious in the last three years. Most of the illegal timber is smuggled into neighbouring Assam where a high demand is there for Garo Hills wood.