TURA: The illegal felling of trees from reserve forests of South Garo Hills and other parts of Garo Hills has evoked serious concern from the Mindikgre regional unit of the Garo Students’ Union compelling it to dash off a letter to the Meghalaya Minister of Forest and Environment asking for his intervention.
According to a complaint submitted by president of GSU, Mindikgre, Greneth M Sangma, trees are illegally being felled from several reserve forests in South Garo Hills and other areas like Angratoli, Baghmara and Rewak reserve forests, Simsanggre, Darugre and A’dokgre reserve forests under the very nose of the DFO, Garo Hills Division (T) who has failed to take any action to prevent the same.
The illegally felled trees are being smuggled out to Bangladesh through the Simsang river or taken by trucks regularly to Assam or supplied for local consumption to saw mills at Nongchram or elsewhere within Garo Hills itself.
Raising further questions about the efficiency of the DFO the GSU president claimed that apart from the illegal felling of trees, whole portions of Dainadhubi and Simsanggre reserve forests have been converted into private lands viz, rubber, banana and betel nut plantations whereas Kharkutta and Halaidanga reserve forests have been completely laid bare with not a single tree standing.
Earlier, the local people of South Garo Hills had jointly submitted a complaint to the Forest and Environment Minister blaming the DFO for the state of affairs of reserve forests in Garo Hills. According to them, the DFO’s manner of functioning has also been questioned by his own field staff. The people had then demanded another official to replace the current DFO.
The GSU has now also made the same demand which it wants to be affected immediately.
“We want an efficient officer to be sent to Garo Hills in place of the current DFO. The survival of reserved forest is at risk if the current DFO continues in office,” the GSU said.
