HOWRAGHAT, March 22 � Timber smugglers have been wreaking havoc since last couple of years in Karbi Anglong hill district. The illegal cuttings of timber by smugglers have been flourishing in the district for several years. Here, Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) and department of Environment and Forest have failed to stop the excessive illegal cutting of trees. Even, no adequate protection measures have been seen taken up yet to crackdown the ongoing denuding of forest by the KAAC as well as the Environment and Forest department, local people alleged.
The naturally endowed hill tracts of the Karbi Anglong with flora and fauna of great verities are now in stiff a threat.
Taking advantage of inactivity of the KAAC and Environment and Forest department illegal cutting of trees have been incessantly going on by smugglers in active support by some sections of local anti social elements in the district.
Besides, in this case, no front social organizations, non government organization, student organizations and even opposition political parties of the district have are seen to combat the ongoing illegal logging activities in the district.
According to Forest Survey of India (FSI) Karbi Anglong which is known as �Green Lungs of Assam� has 4296.75 square kilometers under the recorded forest cover that constitutes about 42 per cent of forest cover of the total geographical areas of the district.
Most of valuable timbers have been robbed extricating from the aforesaid forest reserved by timber smugglers and exported to different destinations of the State by trucks, buffalo carts and hand-carts.
During the rainy season, many rafts of timbers were also seen carried over through the Jamuna river nearby the forest reserves.. It is a matter of regret that now the naturally enchanting and full of different natural resources district is near denuddation.
Besides, many illegal small timber mills have mushroomed in the adjoining districts under the patronage of timber smugglers.
Criticizing the irresponsibility the KAAC and Forest department, the All Assam Students� Union (AASU), Karbi Anglong district unit strongly condemned and demanded to take stern protection measure against the on going forest destruction activities in the district.
