Correspondent
Assam Forest Department Cracks Down on Illegal Timber Logging in Kheroni Forest.
During this operation, the officials encountered a group involved in the illicit felling of trees within the forest region on Monday night. The team had to pursue the vehicle as it attempted to escape from the forest guards. Eventually, they managed to seize the vehicle, although the driver and assistant were able to flee into the forest. The confiscated timber has an estimated market value of approximately Rs 70,000 to 80,000. Furthermore, the team successfully impounded a Tata pickup truck with the registration number AS 02 BC 8473, which was loaded with the seized timber.
Prior to this incident, based on specific information, the 6th Battalion of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) intercepted a Bhutanese truck with the license plate No. BP 3A/0009. The truck was carrying 800 CFT of swan timber, and the driver was apprehended. This special operation was conducted by the D Coy Dadgiri. The truck and timber were seized, and the driver was taken into custody. However, when asked to present valid and legal documents for the timber and vehicle, the driver failed to provide any documentation for the transported items.
The Naka team, under the command of Deputy Commandant Sanjeev Kumar, along with a team of one Sub-Inspector (SO) and eight others, successfully executed the operation. The SSB apprehended an individual named Nripen Narzary (50 years old) from the Phulbari village in the border area of Chirang district. They also confiscated a Bhutanese truck with the license plate BP 3A/0009, which was loaded with swan timber valued at approximately Rs. 50,00,000. Both the seized items and the detained individual were handed over to the Forest Range officer at Runikhata.