The menace of timber smuggling in the district seems to have gotten more innovative with smugglers now using small cars to ferry their illegal goods through the various routes near Dainadubi, close to the Assam border.
The Dainadubi area of North Garo Hills has at least six routes, besides the national highway 62 for vehicles to reach Assam, providing a headache for forest workers in the district.
Most timber comes from the rich forest areas that adjoin the Chimabangsi Reserve Forest which still has some reserves of high value timber – sal and teak. These timbers, which are sawn down despite protests from locals have become one of the mainstays for the illegal trade.
Further, due to the presence of forest personnel in some of the routes, smugglers have begun to use the Manda River as a route for transport into neighbouring Assam as the natural flow of the water even helps in cost cutting measures.
“As big trucks are cumbersome, smugglers have resorted to taking the timber through the river or through the use of small vehicles, including vans and wingers. These cars are advantageous as they can be moved through any of the 6-7 routes into Assam where the prices of the goods are at least 3-4 times more than in Meghalaya,” said a local resident, Chengchang D Marak.
The modus operandi of the smugglers has been an open secret for a while now. Despite knowing the situation, the forest department has been at its wits end as it struggles with manpower.
“There is not much we can do as there are too many roads and too little manpower to manage all of them. Based on information we post people to catch these smugglers but what can be done in the lack of people power. We have been asking people to help the department with information and despite the lack of resources, we have been pretty successful in catching a lot of these vehicles. The Dainadubi Range office is testimony to our efforts,” said DFO of East and NGH, Sathish K.
Currently more than 50 vehicles, with smuggled timber, lie in the RF office in Daindadubi.
