SHILLONG, Nov 9: The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) Executive Member in charge of Forest, Macdalyne S Mawlong, informed the House on Tuesday that the department is taking all possible measures to prevent any illegal felling of timber in the forest areas falling under the Council.
Replying to a question raised by Nongstoin MDC, Gabriel Wahlang, on Day 2 of the Council’s reassembled Autumn Session, Mawlong said that they had intensified the patrolling following reports of illegal felling and smuggling of timber from the plantation of the Council.
She informed the House that the Council has seized 35.748 cubic metre of timber amounting to Rs 3.94 lakh through the patrol team of the department. “We have managed to seize these timbers due to the increase in the patrolling by the staff and officials of the department. We have placed our forest guards in our plantations,” the EM in-charge Forest said, adding that the seized timber will be auctioned through an open tender.
Informing that they are setting up boundary pillars in all the plantations of the KHADC, she added that fencing work of the plantations in Byrnihat-Patharkhmah range in Ri Bhoi is under way.
“We are taking all possible measures to prevent any kind of illegal felling of timbers in the forest areas under the Council,” Mawlong said.
Meanwhile, she informed that many do not possess the Certificate of Origin (CO) and Transit Permit (TP) of the timber, which they plan to transport.
The Council member also said that from time to time, the department has also been implementing working scheme to allow cutting of timbers in private forest areas.
“But we have also ensured that re-plantation should be taken up after cutting of the timber from the private forest areas,” Mawlong said.
She further informed that the department along with the help of the state Forest department has completed the field work to implement the working schemes in the forest areas owned by clan and individuals in West Khasi Hills covering a total area of 6,338 hectares.
“The Council is getting only royalty from the implementation of the working schemes,” she informed the House.
