Women of Mundu and Heratu villages in buffer area of tiger reserve have vowed to fight against tree felling by timber mafia. These women showed their determination in a meeting held here a few days back said one of the participants of this meeting D S Srivastava who is a member of state wild life board.
Srivastava said DFO buffer of PTR Mahaling, two forest rangers of Garu and Chhipadohar and a couple of foresters attended this meeting of the rural people wherein the villagers reiterated that tree felling by unscrupulous people would be stopped by all means.
Mahaling DFO buffer told The Pioneer ‘Some locals here at Mundu and Heratu are in tandem with timber cutters of Amwatiker Mungru Nawadeeh who cut trees and then smuggle the same with the help of these locals’. Trees of Biya are felled by the Mafiosi. Mahaling said this evil trade can be only stopped with the active co operation and support of the local residents. Sources said the new field director cum chief conservator of forest PTR M P Singh’s main thrust is to rope in villagers for the PTR as Singh is said to believe that if there is income for villagers they will definitely take care of the PTR.
Timber cutter sneak into the forest either on foot or use cycles as on being challenged by forest guard these guys present themselves as villagers but the grim fact is these men on cycles are cutters who spot healthy tree having high timber value and then in a demon like speed fell it, log it and escape with booty on these cycles. Mahaling said three days back sixteen slippers of timber were seized at labher. Here the buffer patrol team also seized six cycles which were abandoned by the riders cum timber cutters on being surrounded by the buffer staff post mid night.
Sources said two railway stations falling on the CIC section of East Central Railway Chhipadohar and Hehegara have the dubious distinction of illegal and illicit timber transit by passenger trains.
DFO buffer Mahaling said he would bring this fact to the notice of DRM Dhanbad seeking his co operation in the control of any such illegal transportation of timber by passenger trains on this route and from these two railway stations.