GUWAHATI, July 24 � Customs officials today formally completed the seizure process of the 42 railway wagonloads of illegal timber at the Bamunimaidam BG yard. The value of the timber, mostly teak and pinewood, is valued at around Rs 80 crore.
A customs official said that the unloading of the timber continued well into the night as it was a huge consignment. �We are completing the official formalities and the timber would be handed over to the Railways. The seizure has been done under Section 110 of the Customs Act-1962,� he added.
The official said that the seizure established the Myanmar connection of smuggled wood in which the North-east was often used as a conduit. �It had often been doubted for long that the illegal timber comes from Myanmar, but today it has been established. There is no hammer marking of the Forest Department which is mandatory for transit pass,� he said.
It was on Friday that in one of the biggest seizure of illegal trade in timber, customs officials had seized the huge consignment staked in 42 railway wagons in Guwahati.
The timber was meant for sale to 25-odd buyers in New Delhi�s Nangloi region for the timber industry there. The customs officials had come to learn about the illegal consignment on July 10.
