The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Timber mafia `hyperactive' in Shevaroys' Hills

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 04, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Timber mafia `hyperactive' in Shevaroys' Hills

By R. Ilangovan

YERCAUD, OCT. 3. The seizure of Silver Oak tree logs from a lorry here by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption on Saturday night has strengthened the claims of environmentalists that timber mafia remains "hyperactive" in and around Shevaroys' Hills.

Despite ecologists crying hoarse about illegal tree felling in the fragile hills, law-enforcing agencies have been denying that the illegal activity has been going on. The DVAC team, acting on specific information, stopped the transportation of the logs, estimated to cost Rs. 35,000 in the local market. Highly- placed DVAC sources here told The Hindu an insider must have tipped the agency, instead of going to Forest department officials. An environmentalist, who spearheads a campaign against environmental degradation in the hills points out that indiscriminate tree felling had been a menace for long here. Lorries loaded with timber came down from the hill at night. Though many of these vehicles were armed with permits, they rarely conformed to stipulations. "The guards at check-posts seem to have no will to check the consignment thoroughly."

Silver Oak (Grevillia Robusta) is an exotic species and is being grown as shade tree in coffee plantations. The species was listed in the Scheduled Timber List and remained under the purview of the Tamil Nadu Timber Transit Rules 1968 for long. The tree was removed from the Scheduled List in 1997. But the Government, bowing to pressure from environmentalists, re-included it in the Scheduled List. But the species was removed from the list once again. "But it has not been removed from the Timber Transit Rules," claimed the environmentalist.

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