VIJAYAWADA: To tackle red sanders smuggling menace in the State and to protect precious forest wealth, AP police has decided to set up armed police base camps, forest parties, install CCTV cameras in smuggling-prone areas and loading points in the respective forest divisions. “We need more base camps. Also, there is a need to improve wireless connectivity and forest road network,” DGP RP Thakur said.
In an inter-State coordination meeting on Red Sander Smuggling held with police bosses of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in New Delhi recently, a decision was taken to increase vigil in eight red sanders smuggling-prone forest divisions spread over Kadapa, Nellore, Chittoor, Kurnool and Prakasam districts. Explaining the prevailing situation in the State, Thakur sought cooperation from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to break the chain of smugglers.
This is the third such coordination meeting; two such meetings were held earlier in Bengaluru on September. “During the meeting, we nominated nodal officers for three States and they will exchange the crime data and prevailing situation at field level,” Thakur said. He explained the need for joint operations to curb the red sanders smuggling and told Customs, DRI and Port officials to extend their support. “We have agreed to create a national level database with the help of two neighbouring States. Tamil Nadu has accepted to launch a campaign called Information Education and Communication (IEC).”
Thakur said there is an influx of Malyali tribals (residents of Tamil Nadu) into the Andhra Pradesh forest region, adding 80,000 families are into red sanders smuggling. “We have arrested around 2,500 persons in three years. We conducted counseling sessions, involved services of local NGOs to draw them away from smuggling. Villagers of Kannamangalam have taken the pledge not to indulge in red sanders smuggling anymore,” he added.