AGARTALA, June 13 (TIWN): Smuggling of expensive timber has rampant through the State with the failure of concern authorities comprising of Forest Rangers, DFO and the ministerial authority of the ruling Government.

Reportedly, there are issues of timber smuggling at large scale which is performed in night in various parts of the state. Allegedly, there are police, forest rangers and other security forces, who are making hefty profit out of this business.

Sometimes the insurgents are involved in the illicit act, while at other times the forest guards also join hands to make profit out of it. In the recent year, the timber smuggling has been alarmingly increasing assuring deforestation in the state.

As per the report, deforestation mostly hits over the Northern sector of the Forest Department that is the Kumarghat area, Kanchanpur, Jumpui hill, Monu and various other places. Further, it has been alleged that the timber businessman who want to sell the timber legally, could not able to acquire profit out of it due to the excessive road charges of the Forest department.

On one hand where the deforestation hits over the state, on the other hand various expensive saplings are decomposing at the Forest Department shedding dark cloud over the state.  

The concern forest areas have become a convenient passage for smuggling of timber and other forest products. Hundreds of tones of timber and other expensive woods are smuggled out to different places through the unfenced Indo-Bangla international border.

Local people have also accused the concern employees of the District Forest Office of being involved in timber smuggling and not taking any initiatives to curb the illegal act. They claimed that illegal timber supply flourished after forest guards and other concerned authorities of range posts established at the border points in the areas started taking a hefty amount from the smugglers.

However, the state is running under crucial stage with sheds of dark cloud of deforestation floating over it.