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Forest department to crack down on smuggling
After a lull, the forest department has stepped up its operations against red sanders smuggling Its raids and vehicle checks are yielding results A huge quantity of 139 logs have been seized at Mamandur, Talakona and Tirupati city outskirts since Sunday
Tirupati: After a lull, the forest department has stepped up its operations against red sanders smuggling. Its raids and vehicle checks are yielding results. A huge quantity of 139 logs have been seized at Mamandur, Talakona and Tirupati city outskirts since Sunday.
Giving twist to the smuggling activities, involvement of local people has come to light of late. Officials caught six locals including in Mamandur (4) and Talakona (2). This explains why the illegal activity keeps thriving, despite best efforts by the Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF), forest and police departments.
Two country-made guns and a two-wheeler were seized from four smugglers along with 15 red sander logs during the combing in Mamandur forest range. The locals who were once directly involved in smuggling and later confined to providing logistics to the smugglers have reportedly resumed the illegal smuggling to make quick buck. Officials are at a loss to check this worrying trend in the district.
In Talakona area in Seshachalam forest also, the forest personnel, following a tip-off, nabbed 2 locals and recovered 12 red sander logs on Monday; five, however, managed to escape.
The department also made the biggest catch of 112 red sander logs in Haritha colony, a downtown area adjacent to the forest, also on Monday. But, the smugglers made good their escape, leaving behind a truck and the logs.
Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), Tirupati circle, Saravanan said that the recovery of a huge number of logs in Haritha Colony was the result of a meticulous planning based on the information obtained by the department network.
The senior official informed that the anti-smuggling drive would be intensified in the coming days. He noted that the forest personnel have a vast range of assignments and anti-smuggling is one among them.
“Protecting forests, wild life and promoting greenery is our main task in addition to combating red sander smuggling,” he said, informing that the department had requested the government to provide it with small fire arms not only to deter the smugglers but to ensure the safety of personnel themselves.
He further said: “We are already having pump action gun and single barrel gun and adding revolver sure to give teeth to the anti-smuggling operations.”
