Reported by- Ripunjoy Das
Weeks after the army seized a huge number of illegally felled trees in the Deomali sub district of the Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh, illegal timber smuggling has again started in Arunachal Pradesh.
The timber mafia, in connivance with a section of corrupt and greedy forest department personnel, has once again started to plunder the pristine green cover by cutting down trees in the reserve forests of Deomali subdivision.
The timber mafia had even set up camps inside the deep jungles for the smooth conduct of their illegal business and also to avoid detection.
Earlier, the forest department seized all the smuggled timber and filed an FIR against the smugglers, after which 20 people were arrested.
The illegal timber mafias often use riverine routes to ferry their consignment, primarily for two reasons: fear of detection and the lower cost of transportation.
As the rainy season approaches in the region, illegal timber operators have cut down precious trees and kept them ready to be ferried from Jumdang in Deomali sub-division.
As the water level of the rivers and rivulets rises, the timber mafia will ferry them downstream to their target locations by making rafts of the timber logs.
Sources told North East Live that the forest department is well aware of these issues but is not taking any action in this regard for reasons best known to them.
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