VIJAYAWADA: Ordering a comprehensive crackdown on illegal red sanders smuggling in the Seshachalam forest area, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Forests and Environment K. Pawan Kalyan has directed Forest Department officials to prepare a strong, technology-driven action plan to curb the illegal activity on Saturday.
Pawan Kalyan held a review meeting with senior forest officials through a teleconference and described red sanders as an invaluable natural treasure unique to Andhra Pradesh. He said protection of red sanders must be taken up as a collective responsibility. “Not a single red sanders log should leave Seshachalam illegally,” Pawan Kalyan said, instructing officials to ensure total enforcement across all vulnerable zones.
He further emphasised the need for integrated operations between the Forest and Police Departments and directed officials to constitute special joint teams to target kingpins who have turned red sanders smuggling into a major revenue source. “Labourers, supervisors, and godown keepers involved in cutting trees should be identified, counselled, educated on legal consequences, and guided towards alternative livelihoods,” he instructed.
Criticising the previous YSRCP regime for failing to control smuggling and rising anti-social activities, he said the Red Sandalwood Anti-Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF) would be strengthened to curb the menace. “The previous YSRCP government dismantled the task force, which opened the doors for massive illegal tree cutting between 2019 and 2024,” he added.
The Dy CM also announced plans to allocate a fixed percentage of revenue from red sanders sales for seed dispersal, forest regeneration, and protection measures. “Many states had seized red sanders transported illegally from AP, but earlier governments failed to reclaim them,” he said.