Teak felling, allegations of collusion between smugglers and the forest department

A case of indiscriminate tree felling by smugglers has come to light in the village of Kanda, within the district’s Semersot Sanctuary. Precious teak trees in the sanctuary are being sacrificed using modern woodcutting machines.

The felled wood is being transported in the dark of night, as evidenced by the tree stumps. Villagers say that the forest they once protected is now being indiscriminately felled. They say that even basic amenities like electricity are not available in their village, but they can no longer tolerate such indiscriminate felling of their forests.

Special rules apply to forest harvesting in sanctuary areas, but villagers are not even allowed to pick a simple toothpick. Meanwhile, in the same village, even the largest and thickest trees are being felled using technology, and this wood is being smuggled in the dark of night. All of this could be happening either with the connivance of the Forest Department or in collusion with local residents. The department’s tacit approval of this issue, in particular, has raised many questions among the villagers. Forest workers in the Semersot Sanctuary area say that because there are no government housing in the village, they commute from the headquarters in Balrampur. They are aware of the logging, but since it occurs at night, they are unable to control it.