Environment and Forests Minister Bojjala Gopalakrishna Reddy on Monday asserted that the State government would act with an iron fist to break the alleged nexus between red sander smugglers, officials and some YSR Congress leaders.
“Some YSRC leaders are hand in glove with the smugglers and have frequently visited the smugglers lodged in prisons. Some officials have also colluded with the latter. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is firm on breaking this nexus,” he said, adding that the government would not hesitate to invoke the provisions of the Preventive Detention (PD) Act against the offenders.
Referring to auction of red sanders stocked at the government godowns, he said that all hurdles of the auction had been overcome. “A team of officials held road shows in China and Japan to ensure maximum participation by foreign players in e-tendering-cum-e-auction of the precious wood. The government aims at garnering the best price for red sanders during the auctions planned for next month,” he said.
The Director General Foreign Trade (DGFT) had permitted the State government to sell half of the 8,000 tonne of the precious wood in the first phase, he informed.
The government would go for Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to keep a close watch on red sanders in the forests and prevent felling of trees, he added.
