Task force effective in curbing red sanders logs smuggling

- RSASTF has the complete picture of the red sanders growing areas and the routes taken by the Tamil Nadu wood cutters to reach these locations, thus enabling forces to track the smugglers entering the forests, says DCF BNN Murthy
- Sniffer dogs deployed at check posts to trace out red sanders hidden in vehicles and also the dumps where the logs were hidden by smugglers in the forests
- RSASTF seized 1,700 red sanders logs in the first 3 months this year as against the total of 3,200 logs in 2016

Tirupati: The Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF) recorded an impressive performance with regard to seizures of the valuable red sanders logs in the first three months this year which was about 1,700 logs as against the total of 3,200 logs recovered during the entire 2016. The RSASTF which came into being in January, 2015, in its two-year existence, has slowly but steadily established its dominance, along with the Forest department, over the Seshachalam forest spread over Chittoor, Kadapa and Nellore districts. The forces were able to counter the red sanders operatives both in the forests and outside.

Joint combing operations by the RSASTF and Forest department carried out even in the hitherto uncovered deep forests have resulted in drastically curbing felling of trees. In addition to this, the RSASTF strategy of strengthening surveillance and network of informers in the forest fringe areas and covering all the entry and exist points outside Seshachalam forest has made it tough for the smugglers to carry out illegal transportation of red sanders from the district. The 1,700 logs seized so far (March 23) include the recovery of 193 red sanders logs from two places near Tirupati, 304 logs in Proddatur forest division, 235 logs and Gummidipoondi (Tami Nadu), while the remaining related to about 60 cases of smuggling since January this year. In most of the cases, the smugglers were able to escape leaving behind the stock of red sanders logs.

RSASTF teams have virtually rummaged the entire forest including areas where red sanders logs are still abundant. It has also identified the routes, water points, caves and other shelters points being used by smugglers as hideouts in the forests and the possible dumping places inside and outside the forests.

RSASTF Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) BNN Murthy, who led a team to identify and track routes used by the smugglers and also their hideouts said that that the force is equipped with almost the complete picture of the red sanders growing areas, the routes the Tamil Nadu wood cutters would take to reach them and also the shelters and water points of the smugglers in the Seshachalam forest.

“Even if they manage to fell the trees, they cannot so easily take them out of the forests as we have the entire routes mapped. At one point or other we will catch them,” he said explaining the reasons behind the large number of seizures this year in the first three months. Further, with the mapping of the details of the routes, we are now able to intercept the supplies of provisions, vegetables etc. making it difficult for the smugglers survive in the forests, he said citing the recent seizures of food items like rice, vegetables, pulses etc., in many places.

According to Murthy, earlier, the smugglers were able to carry away 80 per cent of the logs of red sanders they felled in the forests, leaving behind only the 20 per cent of the logs being seized when the smugglers were illegally transporting them, but the trend is now reversed.

He said inducting sniffer dogs will help RSASTF tighten its grip over the smugglers, making it almost impossible for them to carry out the illegal activities. The dog squad will be deployed at check posts to find out the red sanders hidden in vehicles and also to trace out the hidden dumps in the forests and forest fringe areas, to bring down smuggling.

G Sridhar