Times of India: Kozhikode: Thursday, 24 June 2021.
It has emerged that forest department checkpost at Lakkidi in Wayanad failed to take note of the illegal transport of the rosewood trees, which were felled from assigned land at Muttil in Wayanad, to the timber depot in Ernakulam.
RTI documents of the list of timber vehicles that passed through the checkpost from Feb 2-6 did not have the number of the lorry (KL-19-2765) in which the logs were transported on Feb 3. As per the information provided by the department to the RTI query, 44 timber lorries passed through the checkpost from Feb 2 to 6, but the lorry used by timber mafia was missing in the list.
The incident points to possible collusion between the checkpost staff and those involved in the illegal timber transport. According to department sources, disciplinary action will be taken against the officers at the checkpost who are responsible for this lapse.
The rosewood logs were seized by Meppadi forest range officer MK Sameer from a timber depot at Perumbavoor on Feb 8 and the lorry used to transport the timber was seized from Koduvally on Jun 9. Forest department has registered 43 cases in connection with the felling of 101 rosewood trees and 202 cu m of timber have been seized.
The forest vigilance probe had found that 161 trees, including 101 rosewood trees and 60 teak trees, were felled from assigned land in Wayanad by misusing a revenue department order.
Meanwhile, forest department also slapped the Bio Diversity Act in the tree felling cases while the multi-agency special investigation team (SIT) is also probing the illegal tree felling by charging cases under various sections including theft, cheating, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, Kerala Land Conservancy Act etc.
It has emerged that forest department checkpost at Lakkidi in Wayanad failed to take note of the illegal transport of the rosewood trees, which were felled from assigned land at Muttil in Wayanad, to the timber depot in Ernakulam.
RTI documents of the list of timber vehicles that passed through the checkpost from Feb 2-6 did not have the number of the lorry (KL-19-2765) in which the logs were transported on Feb 3. As per the information provided by the department to the RTI query, 44 timber lorries passed through the checkpost from Feb 2 to 6, but the lorry used by timber mafia was missing in the list.
The incident points to possible collusion between the checkpost staff and those involved in the illegal timber transport. According to department sources, disciplinary action will be taken against the officers at the checkpost who are responsible for this lapse.
The rosewood logs were seized by Meppadi forest range officer MK Sameer from a timber depot at Perumbavoor on Feb 8 and the lorry used to transport the timber was seized from Koduvally on Jun 9. Forest department has registered 43 cases in connection with the felling of 101 rosewood trees and 202 cu m of timber have been seized.
The forest vigilance probe had found that 161 trees, including 101 rosewood trees and 60 teak trees, were felled from assigned land in Wayanad by misusing a revenue department order.
Meanwhile, forest department also slapped the Bio Diversity Act in the tree felling cases while the multi-agency special investigation team (SIT) is also probing the illegal tree felling by charging cases under various sections including theft, cheating, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, Kerala Land Conservancy Act etc.
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