Rs.22 cr worth red sanders seized in 2014

• PD Act provisions against seven in Kadapa district
• Subsidy benefits will be stopped to the smugglers

Kadapa: The steps taken by police, forest and revenue departments in unison to curb illegal transportation of red sanders are yielding good results and the illegal activity will be curbed, stated Kurnool Range DIG T Muralikrishna. As a part of the measures taken to protect the valuable red sanders logs, kalajathas under police supervision will be organised to awaken the public, he added. The DIG said that police have seized red sanders logs worth Rs 22 crore in the district in 2014 and PD Acts were filed against seven persons for illegal smuggling while proposals to file the Act against some more are on the anvil.

The DIG held a district coordination meeting with Joint Collector M Ramarao, SP Navin Gulati, ASP Vijay Kumar, Kadapa, Proddatur and Rajampet DFOs Nagaraju, Sivasankar Reddy and Venkateswarlu, DSPs, and police and revenue department officials at the district police office here on Monday.

Later speaking to the media, Muralikrishna said that they discussed alternate ways and measures to be taken to prevent and to totally stop red sanders illegal transportation. “About 234 cases were booked in the district and 923 smugglers were arrested. Red sanders logs worth Rs 22 crore were seized from them and also 188 vehicles were seized,” he said. Forest officials also booked many cases and cases against seven smugglers under PD Act were filed in the district, he added.

The DIG said Kalajathas were set up will tour the villages and also towns and cities from January, 2015. They will explain the importance of red sanders. They will request the public to cooperate in preventing the smuggling of the valuable logs. He requested the public to give information about the illegal transportation immediately.

DIG Muralikrishna said that in recent times they found out heavy dumps of red sanders logs in agricultural fields and forests but the farmers of the lands are denying any relation with the land or with the logs.

He suggested the land owners who found out red sanders dumps in the fields to inform the police and assured that no action will be taken against them. But, he warned, cases will be filed if they fail to inform about illegal transportation.

The DIG said a case was filed against red sanders smuggler Kollam Gangireddy in Kurnool and the enquiry is going on. Answering to reporters’ question, he said that properties were not impounded till date. After taking up enquiry, filing of criminal case and charge sheet only, properties of persons concerned will be impounded, he explained.

Pointing out the recent incident where RTC drivers were caught transporting red sanders workers, he said that they have information about some more RTC drivers and enquiring about them.

District Joint Collector M Ramarao said that ration, gas and other government subsidy benefits will be stopped to the all those who illegally transport red sanders. Assuring the police department of extending their help in curbing the red sanders smuggling, he gave a call to the public to be ready to help the police in this regard.