Shillong, Sep 14: Authorities of the Raksamgre civil sub-division, police, Forest Department and members of various pressure groups closed nine sawmills that were allegedly operating illegally on Friday.
The sawmills were operating near the border with Assam in the villages of Medhipara, Hatogaon, Rongsai, Borogobal, Motapara, Besorkona, which fall under Raksamgre civil sub-division. Ten trucks loaded with logs were also seized by the authorities.
These operations work outside the law and are responsible for felling large numbers of trees. Illicit sawmills have sprouted all over Garo Hills, defying efforts to put a stop to the illegal trade.
In a press release, the pressure groups said that they have been informed by reliable sources that there could be another “50 such illegal operators” in the Raksamgre and Tikrikilla region. The timber used to feed the sawmills comes from areas in the plains belt, they added. Ownership is not restricted to any one community, with tribals, non-tribals and residents of Assam all responsible, the release said.
“This is a menace that needs to be stopped with immediate effect due to the danger it poses to the environment and to the water table. We have seen how water has become a scarce resource even in places which had abundant water. Unless we make efforts to stop these illegal acts, our region will soon become bone dry in the years to come,” the NGOs stated. “During the seizure, the extent of damage caused to the environment could be gauged from the fact that within the premises of the sawmill, hundreds of logs of various ages lay around – most of which were not even mature trees.”
