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| Secret trade |
Nagaon, Sept. 24: Subsidised tractors and buffaloes allotted to farmers under various agriculture and rural development schemes are allegedly being used to smuggle timber in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district.
The development came to light after the forest department seized two tractors and 18 buffaloes, which were being used to lift smuggled timber in the district’s bordering areas.
Sources in the Karbi Anglong forest department said at least 20 tractors are being used to lift timber in the interiors of reserve forests.
“In the past fortnight, we have seized two tractors and 18 buffaloes from different parts of Hamren subdivision. Seven persons have been arrested and 39 logs recovered from them. The seized items include a timber-loaded tractor that was seized at Sankarbasti under Kheroni police station early this morning. The tractor’s driver, Anjay Kemprai, and his associate, Mohan Kharitrap, were arrested,” the source said.
A source in the Karbi Anglong (West) forest division said timber is generally smuggled from the dense forests in neighbouring Dima Hasao district and trafficked through the river Kapili.
“When the logs reach Hamren, the smugglers use buffaloes to lift and carry it. Finally they use tractors to transport the logs to Lanka in neighbouring Nagaon district, where these are handed over to the owners of illegal mills. After tracing the movement of the smugglers, we launched the special operation. We hope the network will end soon,” the source said.
Most of the accused had confessed during interrogation that the tractors and buffaloes were given under government schemes and were meant for agriculture.
The West division (Hamren) forest officer, Jibananda Hazarika, said they had informed Dispur about the smugglers’ route and had also requested a motorboat for routine patrolling along the Kapili to check timber smuggling.
“We hope to get a few motorboats very soon. Once we have these, our special operation against the illegal transportation of timber would gain ground,” Hazarika said.
The agriculture department, however, said it was in the dark about the misuse of “agriculture tools” by farmers. “Some farmers use their tractors for business during the off-season to earn money. But we have not heard that they use tractors to smuggle illegal timber,” a source said.