DOOMDOOMA, June 11 - It has been alleged for quite sometime now that Tinsukia district has become the hub of illegal trade in forest resources.
Allegations are rife about unabated smuggling of forest resources with full knowledge of the police and Forest Department personnel concerned. Involvement of a few local leaders of the ruling party is also alleged.
Moreover, illegal timber is regularly transported through the district from neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh.
Significantly, during the last few days, the Forest Department as well as police have become active and seized several trucks transporting illegal timber.
On Sunday morning, a patrol party from Doomdooma Police Station seized a truck bearing registration No. HR-69C 6117 loaded with khoir logs from Tipuk near here. Police informed that the truck would subsequently be handed over to the Forest Department.
Similarly on Friday, another truck with illegal timber was seized by the Forest Department at Hanhsara near here.
Further, several illegal timber-laden trucks were also seized at Dholla and Phillobari too.
Moreover on June 2, the Forest Department abortively raided a timber godown situated at Rupbon here. Not strangely rather, sensing an imminent raid, the owner of the godown shifted a consignment of illegal khoir logs stored in his godown to some other unknown place.
But how on earth did the owner of the godown come to know about the raid beforehand is the million dollar question now. Must definitely be a case of an insider tipping off the owner of the godown, the socially conscious section of citizens here opined.
