Bhubaneswar, Sept. 1: Orissa’s sylvan wealth is under threat. Smugglers are carting away tonnes of precious timber daily from the state’s forests where security continues to be lax because of manpower shortage.

On a rough estimate, Orissa loses timber worth over Rs 20 crore annually to smuggling which is rampant in almost all its districts. Koraput, Nayagarh, and Khurda, however, have earned particular notoriety for timber smuggling. No wonder, green cover in several areas of the state is shrinking rapidly.

Sources said in districts such as Koraput, where Maoist rebels control the interior areas, forest were entirely at the mercy of smugglers who enjoyed full support of the rebels.

“Neither forest officials nor village forest protection committees dare confront the smugglers. At certain places, even social forestry projects have been hampered by the reluctance of forest officials to support the village committees fearing retaliatory action from the rebels,” said an official.

The smugglers are not even afraid of killing forest officials for smuggling timber. In January last year, a forester was hacked to death and five other forest department officers and forest protection activists were seriously injured in a fight with armed timber smugglers in a reserve forest in Khurda district. The forest officials were, in fact, far outnumbered by the 40-strong gang of smugglers who were armed with axes and other sharp weapons.

Three years after three forest personnel were killed by Maoist rebels in Dhenkanal district, this incident further heightened the sense of insecurity among forest employees. The employees contended that the security wing of the forest department was not only understaffed but also inadequately armed compared to the firepower at the command of the smugglers.

In 2005, the government, with a view to check the smuggling of forest products, had formulated a scheme for rewarding informers and officials who provided tips leading to or took part in the seizure of timber and vehicles transporting them. They informers were supposed to get 45 per cent of the value of the goods seized.

Continued smuggling, however, suggests that the scheme failed to make any real impact on the racket, which, it is alleged, thrives in many areas even with the connivance of forest officials.

As far as tackling the issue of manpower shortage is concerned, the government has also experimented with the system of hiring personnel on contract.

But many have questioned the loyalty and sincerity of the hired staff.