BARIPADA: After completion of their week-long signature drive, residents of Baripada municipality and block of Mayurbhanj district submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday urging his intervention into timber smuggling and illegal running of sawmills in Baripada, Rashgovindpur, Betnoti and Suliapada blocks and their adjoining villages.
More than 111 people who participated in the signature drive also sent copies of the memorandum to the Minister of Forests and Environment Pradip Kumar Amat and Secretary of Forest and Environment Satyabrat Sahoo. They alleged that the Forest Department had turned a blind eye to the rampant timber smuggling and illegal running of movable and immovable sawmills.
At least five sawmills that are active in Baripada town and its nearby villages have no government authorisation certificate for pollution, environment clearance and other documents despite Similipal National Park’s directive not to set up any sawmill within its 100 km radius, they pointed out.
The locals said three years ago, the Baripada DFO Swayam Mallick, had installed seven CCTV cameras within the sawmill premises to check illegal entry of timber and had asked the assistant conservator of forests (ACF) and range officer to keep a tab. “But after his transfer, the staff became lackadaisical which helped timber smugglers and illegal sawmill owners earn quick money through their unlawful business. The department staff too earn lakhs from these sawmill owners,” they alleged.
They further said that these illegal activities were conducted at night. “The timber pieces after being cut, are stored in the immovable sawmills and later transported to West Bengal allegedly with the help of police and forest staff. If the CM does not intervene, the timber forests will soon become barren,” the locals rued.
Deputy director of STR South Samrat Gowda said he will seek Baripada DFO Santosh Joshi’s intervention into the matter. In a similar incident, a group of tribals of Balidiha and Kuchilaghati gram panchayat met collector Vineet Bhardwaj on April 10 demanding action against people who cut trees in STR’s Purunapani area and erected a shed without permission.