In a welcome move, the Forest Department of West and South West Garo Hills has issued closure notices to all operating illegal sawmills while stone quarries have been asked to produce validation of operation documents in the two districts.
The move of the District Forest Officer (Territorial) comes in the wake of a mushrooming of sawmills and quarries, all of which are operating without any licences and which are causing huge destruction to the local environment. Most of these illegal mills and quarries, estimated at over 100, lie within the plains belt of both districts.
“We have issued a closure notice to all the illegal sawmills and quarries in the two districts. Many owners of these illegal mills and quarries have complied with the order given by us, though some still continue to operate. We will be taking action against them shortly,” confirmed DFO (Territorial), Rupanker Marak.
The Forest Department, despite being short of manpower, has been making continued efforts to stop the twin menace of illegal sawmills and extraction of stones.
Last month, action was carried out by the department in North Garo Hills after complaints of illegal sawmills were made. Machinery and timber were seized during the raids.
In the plains belt, locals informed that there were more than 100 mills across the region, from Tikrikilla in WGH up to Mahendraganj close to the international border in SWGH.
Illegal stone quarrying has been another headache for the department, with many influential locals setting these units up and refusing to comply with the orders by the state. These quarries operate without valid documents, something that has been picked on by the forest officials.
According to records, 27 stone quarries have been granted permission for operation across the two districts, though in reality the number of such quarries is close to 100. These quarries dot the two districts, starting from Tikrikilla, Phulbari, Chibinang and Rajabala, among other villages and towns.
After notices were sent to the illegal quarries and sawmills, the Forest Department has been on rounds across the two districts to check the legality of the stones being carried as well as the movement of timber.
“The crackdown will happen soon. We just want to tell these illegal mine owners to cease operations and come through legally. These random acts of environmental destruction have to stop,” added the DFO.
