More than 400 logs recovered from national parks vicinity

  • 01/12/2002

  • Assam Tribune (Guwahati)

Tinsukia SP Satyen Gogoi literally stumbled on a lot of timber logs at Natungaon near the Dibru Saikhowa national park while he and his team of policemen were on a routine law and order patrol. The lot contained more than 400 logs of different sizes, but mostly of the bher, jamun, uriam and hati-koila species. Even as the police tipped off the Forest department of the matter and the seized logs were dutifully transferred to the department's custody, Forest officials have come up with a version that the illegally felled logs "are from Arunachal Pradesh.' The Supreme Court has banned tree felling in the upper Assam and eastern Arunachal areas since December 1986. As such, the Forest department in Assam always want to claim that there is no illegal tree felling in the state, following the apex court's order.