About 50 cubic feet Fasi and Jamu logs worth about Rs 50,000 were seized near Barunha by Jajpur Road forest staff on Wednesday.
A Tata AC vehicle bearing registration number OD-04-C-4895 loaded with such logs coming from Bari area was seized for carrying the illegal logs for sawing at Jaraka industrial area. According to sources, eight saw mills have been operating at Jaraka industrial area under Dalijora forest range by State Government’s recommendation. But, these saw mills have been sawing illegal logs rampantly day and night coming from local areas like Bari, Baruhan, Bramhabarada, Balichandrapur, Haripur, Jajpur Town, Darpan, Jenapur, Jokadia, Tamaka, Diatary, Kabatabandha and Chadeidhara areas.
The mills are sawing permit timber rarely while on the contrary, they are sawing huge quantity of theft timber regularly under the very nose of the Cuttack DFO, sources alleged. Although, Cuttack DFO Sudarshan Behera has been transferred a week ago on media reports for nexus with illegal saw mill, he has not been relieved yet and continues to back the timber mafias, it is alleged further.
It is learnt that the higher authorities of Forest Department, including Principal Secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests SS Srivastava, Chief Conservator of Forest Abhimanyu Behera and RCCF Sudarshan Panda have somehow succeeded to close about 100 more illegal saw mills of Jajpur, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur and Cuttack districts under Cuttack forest division.