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Huge quantity of timber seized

Staff Reporter

The planks are suspected to be meant for transportation into the city

BERHAMPUR: Forest officials unearthed 150 cubic feet of illegally stored precious timber from Lochapada village on the outskirts of the city on Sunday.

This timber was hidden at a poultry farm. But no one has been arrested in relation to this seizure. It is suspected that this processed planks of saal and teak wood was kept for transportation into the city. This is third major seizure of illicit timber by the officials of the Berhampur forest division within a fortnight. Earlier 120 logs of illicit timber were seized near Sorala junction near Andhra-Orissa border.

It was kept there for transportation to some illegally run saw mill in Andhra Pradesh for conversion into planks. Around 150 cubic feet of processed illicit timber hidden inside a cashew jungle near Tara Tarini hill shrine was also seized. According to Berhampur Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), S.N.Mohapatra they have started receiving more information about hideouts of illicit timber due to declaration of financial incentives for informers.

"Usually the unemployed youths are coming out to provide information as their names are kept secret," he said. Mr Mohapatra said marriage season was a boom time for illicit timber mafia as the demand for processed timber rises during this time in urban areas. Illicit timber stored at remote villages is transported to villages near the city during this time so that they could be transported into cities in small units hidden under some rural produce by mini trucks.

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