SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Forest Development Corporation has to dispose of 80 seized and unclaimed logs.
Chairman of the Corporation SG Esmatur Mominin said it will auction the logs which will contribute to the Board. The corporation gets revenue by auctioning woods which are seized by the police and the forest department, fallen trees and others and all such seizure have to be handed over to the corporation for auctioning.
In addition, the corporation also supervises some ranges and plantations on private land as an agreement was reached with the land owners that the revenue of the plants when grown will be shared with the corporation.
The Meghalaya Forest Development Corporation was established in 1975 under the Companies Act 1956 with authorised share capital of Rs 2 crore mainly to harvest timber from government forests and to enter into timber trade.
Two sawmills were opened. It worked under profit until 1991. Since area of government forest is very little (as 85 per cent of the Meghalaya forests are with autonomous district council) and focus has shifted on biodiversity conservation, activity is confined to running of sawmills. It may be mentioned that the corporation is also facing fund constraint and manpower crisis.
