TURA: Continuing the clampdown on illegal saw mills operating in West Garo Hills, the District Level Special Task Force Committee (DLSTFC) comprising of teams from the district administration, district police and the Forest department raided several illegal saw mills operating in the district in the last few days.
A highly place forest official informed that four separate teams of the DLSTFC were deployed at four different locations – Rajabala, Belbari, Masangpani and Ghumaijhora areas of West Garo Hills – where they seized and dismantled eight illegal saw mills. The official also informed that cases have also been filed against the offenders in the district courts.
Despite continued effort by the Forest department over the years, illegal sawmills have mushroomed particularly in the border areas of Garo Hills.
One of the major reasons for deforestation in Garo Hills is illegal felling of trees for supply of timber to these mills. It may be recalled that the Supreme Court in 1995 had ordered a blanket ban on tree felling and had directed that all licensed saw mills and wood based industries are to be established only in notified industrial estates.
Garo Hills has two industrial estates – one in Tura and another in Darugiri of East Garo Hills. Despite the blanket ban, illegal saw mills have continued to flourish. To tackle these illegal saw mills effectively, the formation of Special Task Force Committees at the district level was notified by the state government for all districts in 2017.
