In another incident of illegal timber smuggling in Assam, a team of forest officials with the help of wildlife activists on Saturday morning seized illegal timbers and sawmill at Bihiyagaon village near Tezpur in Sonitpur district.
Despite efforts of a section of forest officials and wildlife activists against smugglers and by the personnel of Central Armed Police Forces deployed in border areas including Indo-Bhutan border, smuggling of timbers continues in different parts of Assam.
According to reports, the illegal timbers were recovered in a forest area, which is an encroached forest land.
Around 23,000 huts have allegedly been built on the encroached forest land near Tezpur.
Locals of Lakhoujan tea estate in Bokakhat sub-division of Golaghat district of eastern Assam on Saturday night seized a Tata Magic vehicle laden with smuggled timber.
In may be mentioned that in July this year, an illegal timber-laden vehicle was intercepted in a tea estate area when it was travelling from Lakhoujan quarry to Laxmijuri village in Bokakhat sub-division of Golaghat district by activists of Tea Labourers Sangh, Village Defence Party and Tea Tribe Students’s Union.
However, the driver and the handyman managed to flee from the spot taking advantage of darkness.
Later, the villagers handed over the seized timbers and the vehicle to the Forest Department office at Bokakhat.
Notably, a section of unscrupulous timber smugglers are transporting illegal timber from the forest region of Karbi Anglong adjacent to Lakhoujan tea estate.
Though the illegal timber dealers were warned on several occasions earlier, but the smuggling of illegal timber continued unabated through the tea estate area.
The locals also demanded the Forest Department to check such illegal smuggling of timber in the region.
#Assam forest officials & wildlife activists on September 22 morning seized illegal timber-bence saw mill at Bihiyagaon village near #Tezpur in #Sonitpur district where 23,000 huts are on encroached forest land @abaruah64 @the_hindu pic.twitter.com/zoSs5Lf4Kl
— Rahul Karmakar (@rahconteur) September 22, 2018