Jamshedpur, June 4: Even as the government and private agencies plan to celebrate the World Environment Day tomorrow, Asia’s biggest Saal forest reserve, Saranda, continues to bleed profusely, thanks to largescale illegal felling of trees.

Over a dozen forest mafia with the tacit support of the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) rebels are engaged in largescale felling of trees.

Most of the timber find their way to the local markets of Orissa through Sundergarh district that share a common border with West Singhbhum.

Inquiries by The Telegragh revealed that MCC rebels and the forest mafia, most of whom are from Orissa, have entered into an agreement under which the former is allowing the latter to cut down trees in different parts of Saranda.

In return, the rebels are assured of hefty amounts as levy from these mafia.

“Forest mafia operating in Saranda are receiving patronage from the MCC rebels. There has been an increase in the felling of the trees after the rebels became active in the zone,” district officials said.

Saal and Sagwan trees in several areas like Luiya, Bongo, Thalkobad, Kumdi, Monoharpur and parts of Goelkera, where forest department has godowns, have been illegally felled by the mafia with the help of local villagers.

“Majority of these illegally felled trees are being processed in the forest itself before being taken to Orissa through different routes,” said deputy superintendent of police of Kiriburu, H. Toppo.

According to official sources, during one of the combing operations at Jojobera area in West Singhbhum bordering Sundergarh district of Orissa, the police party came across some villagers felling trees.

“When we interrogated them the villagers said they are felling the trees following instructions by a forest mafia. They were assured of decent payment for illegal felling,” officials said.

Sometime back, Toppo had sent a detailed report to the district superintendent of police Praveen Kumar about the activities of the forest mafia in Saranda.

The Kiriburu DSP was asked by Kumar to submit a report after criminals elements ransacked a forest guest house at Thalkobad and felled a large number of Sagwan trees near that resort.

“In his report, the police officer said the forest mafia was being backed by the rebels. Both the mafia and the rebels are instigating the local villagers to fell trees illegally,” sources informed.

Insiders of the district administration commented that what is proving

to be a blessing for

these mafia elements is that majority of the local forest officials are

too scared to visit

interior parts of the forest after the rebels killed a couple of

foresters and over a dozen

policemen in Saranda.

Chief conservator of forest of the state, JL Srivastava refused to admit

that large scale feeling of trees are taking place at Saranda. “There

may be stray cases of small felling of trees. But we are sure that there

no large scale felling of trees are taking place in Saranda,” he

commented.

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