Forest Dept raids four illegal sawmills in North Garo Hills

Tura, June 18: The Meghalaya Forest Department on Thursday raided four illegal sawmills operating in the Bajengdoba and Mendi areas of North Garo Hills following complaints lodged by several NGOs.

The crackdown was launched after the department received complaints on June 11 from organisations including Matgrik Do’mesal, APA, ADE, FKJGP, AYWO and ASPF alleging the operation of illegal sawmills in the area.

According to Chisaka Ch. Marak, Range Forest Officer in-charge of Darugre, Dainadubi and Kharkutta Ranges, the department verified the information and coordinated with representatives of the NGOs to ascertain the authenticity of the complaints before drawing up an enforcement plan.

Acting on the findings, forest personnel from the Dainadubi, Kharkutta, Darugre and Simsanggre Ranges carried out a joint operation on Thursday. The operation covered several interior locations where the illegal sawmills had been set up.

Three sawmills were detected in Upper Bajengdoba, about 3 km from Kosi Bazar along the main road, while another unit was found at Khonapara, around 6 km from Kosi Bazar. The team also conducted searches in the remote Bhorjora area, nearly 20 km from the main road, underscoring both the extent of the illegal timber network and the efforts undertaken by the department to track down the operators.

During the raids, officials seized various machines and equipment used for processing timber. In some cases, operators had allegedly attempted to evade detection by dismantling and concealing key components of the machinery. However, forest personnel were able to trace and recover the hidden parts during the operation.

Further legal action under the relevant provisions of forest laws is expected to follow.

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