The northern part of Barpeta district in Assam has become a safe haven for timber smugglers. It has been alleged that large-scale timber smuggling is going on unabated specially after the recent floods which had washed away the embankment of the Beki river at Narayanguri, adjacent to the Manas National Park. It may be mentioned here that though reports of large-scale timber smuggling have been published from time to time in newspapers, the silence on the part of the authorities concerned has raised doubts in the minds of the people about the role of the Forest Department in this. Reports said that the smugglers, posing as militants, in association with the Forest Department guards, have been smuggling valuable timber through the route of the Beki river.