Correspondents
TINSUKIA: The smuggling of timber goes unabated in Sadiya subdivision in Tinsukia district. With the seizure of a timber-laden truck at Sunpura by the forest staff on Tuesday, the number of trucks carrying illegal timber from Arunachal Pradesh has risen to nine in two months. These trucks have been intercepted on National Highways in Tinsukia district and Sadiya has always been the transit route to smuggle valuable log and timber from Arunachal Pradesh.
Based on specific inputs, the forest personnel of Sadiya led by ranger Bibit Dihingia conducted a raid at a godown in Sunpura and seized a 12-wheeler truck bearing number AS 01 GC 9629 laden with timber and without any valid documents. The cost of the seized timber will be around Rs 6 lakh. The driver of the truck, on getting information about the raid, diverted the route and drove to a godown owned by one Buragohain near Sunpura PHC, according to a source.
GOSSAIGAON: Based on internal input, a joint team of forest department, 31st SSB and Anti-Corruption and Crime Investigation Front on Wednesday launched an operation in the Indo-Bhutan border area in Dumbazar village under Gossaigaon subdivision of Kokrajhar district. The joint team recovered a huge quantity of illegal sal logs and non-sal timber along with a sawing machine from the operational spot. The seized items were handed over to the Raimona range office under the Kachugaon Forest Division and the expected price of the recovered wood has been estimated around Rs 6 lakh.