NONGSTOIN/NONGPOH: Illegal felling of trees continued unabated in Khasi Hills.
Officials of the DFO Khasi Hills Division in Shillong recently seized a truck-load of illegally felled timber from Klew village in Ri Bhoi district.
The villagers initially protested against the authority’s move saying forest regulations do not hold good for private forests. Later the officials convinced the villagers about the statutory acts and rules to protect private and community forests the state for the benefit of the people.
Permission to fell trees in private and community land shall be obtained from the forest department in accordance with approved working scheme. The Supreme Court has also banned felling of trees in the State without approval under the working scheme and other Acts and Rules.
Despite these laws, a large number of trucks can be seen transporting timber in Rambrai area, Nongstoin and Mawlangsu area where mostly this kind of business were done by timber mafia where they were transported to hundreds of illegal saw mill in the District.
The illegal activities in West Khasi Hills has also put a big question mark on the Forest Department’s allegedly has failed to take action against those who are involved in transportation of timber and all the illegal sawmills operating in the area of west Khasi Hills thereby violating the Supreme Court order that states that sawmills can be operational only within the industrial estate.
