Tura, June 29: Tightening the noose on the illegal timber trade in Meghalaya, forest department personnel this past week dismantled four illegal sawmill operations in West Garo Hills, seized machinery and illegally procured timber, and warned that many more are under their scanner.
The coordinated crackdown, carried out under the Hollaidonga Range of the West & South-West Garo Hills (Territorial) Division, targeted clandestine sawmill operations in the Chibinang-Bolarbita and Selsella areas following credible intelligence inputs.
The enforcement drive led to the dismantling of three illegal sawmills in the Chibinang-Bolarbita stretch and another in Selsella during operations conducted on June 23 and June 29.
“Forest enforcement teams launched coordinated raids after receiving information about unauthorized sawmill units operating from makeshift premises. The teams immediately shut down the operations, dismantled the structures and seized illegally procured timber logs from the sites. They also dismantled heavy-duty bandsaw assemblies, driving wheels and other mechanical equipment. We seized three complete sawmill machine sets, including an electric motor, a platform and a driving wheel,” informed Divisional Forest Officer (Territorial), West & South-West Garo Hills, Rupankar K. Marak.
He added, “We are strengthening our intelligence-gathering network through local inputs and informants to identify more such locations across the district in a bid to curb illegal logging operations.” He said similar enforcement drives would continue to disrupt illegal timber supply chains and warned that stringent action under the Forest Act would be taken against anyone found involved in illegal logging, unauthorized sawmills and related activities.
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