The Chittoor police on Tuesday have decided to constitute Red Sanders Smuggling Prevention Committees (RSSPC) at all vulnerable forest fringe villages at the foot of Seshachalam Hills as part of achieving ‘zero-level’ smuggling rate.
Chittoor Superintendent of Police Ghattamaneni Srinivas during the Goal Setting Programme held here observed that in spite of the strict vigilance of the task force and police personnel at the forest fringe areas, the red sanders woodcutters from Tamil Nadu could sneak into the Seshachalam ranges by forming into small groups now as against the earlier practice of coming in large numbers.
The prime objective of the RSSPCs is to spread into villages vulnerable to the smuggling activity serving as entry and exit points.
The committees will consist of members of the Vana Samrakshana Samithis (VSS), Sarpanches, village elders and youth.
Night vigil
The police personnel would undertake regular meetings with these members, apart from arranging vigilance and beat panels. They will also play a vital role in detecting the presence of the woodcutters and smugglers in their respective areas.
The youth guided by the cops would also participate in night vigils guarding the fringe villages, preventing the possible entry of woodcutters into the forests. As part of the intelligence network, the committees will promptly inform the police as and when the trespassing into the forests takes place. Their presence would work as an effective deterrent against smuggling activity and create a sort of fear-psychosis among the trespassers.
The SP said that the theatrical documentary on evils of red sanders smuggling ‘Kaduludam Erra Chandananni Kapadukundam’ was successful in creating awareness among the rural people in Rayalaseema region. The documentary was screened in a number of theatres for nearly three months, and steps would be taken to repeat screening. The message spread through the documentaries helped a great deal in generating positive response from the rural people towards joining the red sanders smuggling prevention committees. Mr. Srinivas said that by implementing the strategic panels, the vexed problem of red sanders smuggling could be totally tackled by year-end.
The prime objective of the committees is to spread into villages vulnerable to the smuggling activity serving as entry and exit points
