M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, June 4: Just a day before the World Environment Day (June 5), Garu west ranger of the Palamu Tiger Reserve Tarun Kumar Singh and his team on Saturday busted a big illicit timber stock at village Surkumi.
Deputy Director of south division Mukesh Kumar said the drive against illicit timber felling, sawing and stocking would be further intensified. He has warned the unscrupulous elements to abstain from such anti-forest activities.
Ranger Tarun Kumar Singh said, “We have seized around 150 slippers and door frames. These timbers are of Gamhar, Beeja, Sal and Sakhua. The market value of the seized timber could be Rs one lakh.
The house owner identified as Kisun Birjiya (32) from whose house the illicit timbers in the form of slippers and door frames were recovered has been arrested.
Kisun Birjiya will be produced in the chief judicial magistrate court in Latehar on Sunday (June 5). He has been booked under the Forest Protection Act and Wildlife Protection Act.
At least eight sections drawn from both the Acts Forest Protection Act and Wild Life Protection Act have been slapped against Kisun.
Ranger Tarun said, “Our raiding party has seized 3 hand sawmills with which felled trees in the jungles of Surkumi were sawn into the slippers and door frames.”
About Kisun, the ranger said that he is a habitual offender. He used to commit such forest offences earlier too. “Kisun was on our radar for a month and today we got him with illicit timber,” he said.
Deputy Director Mukesh Kumar said that his team had to face resistance today when it raided Kisun’s house.
“However, our ranger Tarun Kumar Singh and his team acted with tact and patience,” Mukesh said.
The modus operandi of Kisun was that he and his team used to first fell a precious tree. Then the felled tree was logged into and later it was sawn with the help of the handheld sawmill.
Ranger Tarun Kumar Singh said, “We are measuring the girth, width and length of the seized illicit slippers and door frames which is a time taking the job.”
