Phulbari, June 20: Various NGOs of the Tikrikilla region along with the Range Forest Office of Hollaidanga in West Garo Hills (WGH) yesterday worked in tandem to help seize another illegal saw mill in the plain belt region.
The latest follows efforts by the Phulbari GHADC Range to put a stop to the illegal and rampant felling of trees for timber as well the hundreds of illegal sawmills that have sprouted in the region defying all efforts to put to the stop the illegal trade.
The raid was led by the state forest team of the territorial range along with CEPARD, NGCO, AAPE, ACHIK and FAF which worked together on the matter. The NGOs had earlier pointed to more than 10 such illegally operating saw mills in just the Hollaidanga area under Tikrikilla PS limits.
Sources have added that there could be at least another 50 such illegal operators in the Tikrikilla region along with double the number in the Phulbari area.
The timber that comes to these mills apparently comes from the low lying hills of the plain belt. These saw mills belong to both the indigenous and non indigenous of the region as well as those from neighbouring Assam.
“This is a menace that needs to be stopped with immediate effect due to the danger it poses to the environment and to the water table. We have seen how water has become a scarce resource even in places which had abundant water. Unless we make efforts to stop these illegal acts, our region will soon become bone dry in the years to come,” informed Gloringstone Marak, the CEPARD president.
The illegal saw mill dismantled yesterday by the team belonged to one person identified as Mohibul of Jugirjhar.
During the seizure, the extent of damage caused to the environment could be gauged from the fact that within the premises of the saw mill, hundreds of logs of various age lay around – most of which were not even mature trees.
The seized materials were later brought to the Range office at Hollaidanga after zimma was taken.