300 cubic feet sawn timber seized by Chhaygaon Police and CRPF personnel

A Correspondent

Boko: Bamunigaon, Nagarbera forest range along with Chhaygaon Police and CRPF personnel launched an operation on Tuesday night after getting information about timber smuggling (also comprising sal wood) on nine horse carts en route to the riverine area under Goroimari revenue circle in Kamrup district.

Chief Conservator of Forest, Central Assam circle, Hem Kanti Talukdar got the information and he immediately informed about it to Ranjan Goswami, DFO, Kamrup West. The operation was launched under the supervision of Ranjan Goswami, DFO, Kamrup West. Forest and police personnel on Wednesday morning found timber loaded on a mechanized country boat. The timber was going to be transferred through the mighty Brahmaputra River to other places at Alikakh under Goroimari revenue circle. The forest department seized the timber along with the boat and brought the timber to the Nagarbera Forest Range office.

Ranjan Goswami, DFO, Kamrup West, said that the smugglers escaped but they seized about 300 cubic feet of sawn timber and a mechanized country boat valued around Rs 3 lakh.

He added that it was easy for smugglers to hide the items or throw them into the river and then escape before arrival of the forest personnel. But he assured that the forest department would again conduct raids against illegal sawmills, wood logs and smugglers in the riverine area of the Brahmaputra in Kamrup district. However, manpower shortage across forest battalions was affecting such operation.

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