TURA, Jan 31 - Dambo-Rongjeng reserve has come under threat due to rampant and illegal felling of trees. The forest, which till a few years ago was the pride of the region, has now become a hunting ground of unscrupulous timber smugglers in the absence of any action by the Forest department to stop the menace.
�The depletion of the reserve forest is alarming. We have been asking the Forest authorities to take action but all the efforts have been in vain. Unless something is done very soon the whole reserve may remain in name only�, said Theju Marak, a resident of Rongjeng in East Garo Hills.
Rongjeng villagers said that the timber is transported to either Shallang in West Khasi Hills or to Assam�s Goalpara. �Officials seem to be involved in this illegal act. There is no way the timber can be transported through these routes without the knowledge of officials of some departments which have their presence along these routes�, added Theju.
The forests of East Garo Hills, including the Rongrengre Reserve in Williamnagar and now the Dambo-Rongjeng Reserve has been under constant threat from encroachment as well as timber smuggling.
Complaints from the residents have failed to evoke any sort of strong action from the State Forest department. �We are going to file an RTI soon seeking information on the total number of trees in the forest reserve and why the Forest department has failed to protect the reserve�, said Rickchy Sangma, another resident.