Himachal Pradesh Government has been allowing import of eight different types of wood to be used by 211 registered furniture industrial units and for the supply of 20, 215 registered forest depots running in the State.
State forest minster Thakur Singh Bharmouri informed the Assembly on the status of import of wood for the industrial units. BJP MlA Mahinder Singh Thakur raised the question about the status of wood being imported to the State and number of registered furniture making industrial units and depots.
Bharmouri said that after fixing certain norms, Central Government was importing the furniture wood from abroad, which are supplied to the respective States in the country according to their demand after fixing the quota.
He said that furniture imported wood include Mranti, Malaysian Sal, New Zealand Pine, lal Mranti, African Sagwan, Brown Valley, Nigerian teak and Australian woods. “These are some woods, which are being used by hill State Himachal Pradesh and are being supplied to different registered furniture units and depots, shops for further supply and use of common people,” said Bharmouri.
Independent MlA Maheshwar Singh alleged that disparity exists in distribution of furniture woods as depots have been opened arbitrarily in the past, making the task difficult for people to procure furniture woods from far off places.
Congress MlA Jagjiwan Pal also alleged that forest officials especially forest guards were creating undue pressure on the rural planer units on the name of registration, however there is no such provisions in the rules. Bharmouri assured that the Government would remove all anomalies, so that wood could be made readily available to the people in each district.
“State Government would direct the officials to inquire on the issue of inspection of planner units by the forest department officials, as it was illegal and such units could be run without any registrations.”
The minister said that the Government did not register or allow new saw mills in the State, as it was restrained by the Supreme Court. However, 57 registered Saw mills were functioning in the State.