The National Green Tribunal, on Monday, issued notices to the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Andhra Pradesh government in a petition that sought a direction to the authorities to evolve a comprehensive management plan to protect red sanders. The petition, filed by one V Magesh, claimed that the red sanders, a type of sandalwood peculiar to the southern region of the country, were on the brink of extinction owing to large scale felling and smuggling. While this was so, he contended that the government was planning to sell off about 8,000 metric tonnes of red sanders, seized while cracking down on illegal smuggling, through auction. A few estimates have in fact shown that the seized red sanders constitute less than 10 per cent of total smuggled quantity. The illegal felling and smuggling of this wood, considered to have medicinal properties by the Chinese and the Japanese, continues unabated despite restrictions imposed by the Director General of Foreign Trade on its export. Therefore, he prayed the tribunal to restrain the AP government from going ahead with the auction and also direct Union Environment Ministry to evolve a scheme to prevent illegal smuggling of red sanders. Admitting the petition, the southern bench ordered notices to respondents returnable by February 10. Meanwhile, in Vellore, the Forest Department has planned to equip its personnel with arms and ammunition to meet the rising threat to its personnel and the flora and fauna, particularly from the resurgent red sander smugglers, in the State. The department had given a serious thought to procuring weapons, following the deadly attack at the forest personnel at Seshachalam Hills in Tirupathi in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. In the incident, smugglers stoned two forest personnel to death when they attempted to arrest them. The department has sent a proposal to Chief Principal Conservator of Forest, urging him to procure around 50 rifles, pistols and revolver to arm the forest guards and foresters, to counter smugglers, said an official of the Divisional Forest Office, Vellore. “Presently, department has around 20 rifles and five to six revolvers and pistols. This number of arms is not enough to prevent the smugglers,” the official said. High density of red sanders in Odugathur, Gudiyattam, Arcot and Vellore Forest Ranges has put the Vellore Forest Division in the red zone. The 150 odd forest guards and foresters were guarding around 1 lakh hectares of forest in the division. Each should guard 2,000 to 3,000 hectare of land. “We requested to procure a minimum of 50 weapons such as 12 bore double barrel guns, .416 MM double-barreled bolt-action rifle and handguns. A proposal has been sent to the senior officials,” he said.