Stage set for e-auction of red sanders

Authorities expediting process for inviting global tenders from prospective bidders. Officials are gearing up to invite tenders for A, B, C and non-grade varieties of red sander logs and the tenders are likely to be called within 10 days.

July 24, 2014 12:05 am | Updated November 16, 2021 11:17 pm IST - HYDERABAD:

The stage is set for disposal of red sanders seized in the four Rayalaseema districts and Nellore through e-auction as the authorities are expediting the process for inviting global tenders from prospective bidders to purchase the precious wood in log form.

The e-auction process, to be taken up through MSTC, a mini Ratna company, was kick-started after the State Cabinet gave its approval for disposal of red sanders lying idle in godowns for years. The high-level committee of officials constituted recently visited the districts for first hand inspection of the available stocks and assessed their quality.

The government had secured permission from the Union government for auctioning 8,584.13 tonne of the seized quantity and it was proposed to dispose of 4,000 tonnes of red sanders in the first phase. Authorities are hopeful of securing price ranging anywhere between Rs. 10 lakh and Rs. 30 lakh a tonne going by the prices of the precious wood in the international market.

Officials are gearing up to invite tenders for A, B, C and non-grade varieties of red sander logs and the tenders are likely to be called within 10 days. Red sander logs weighing 2,046 metric tonnes, stocked in the godowns in the Kadapa and Rajampet divisional central depots in Kadapa district will be disposed off through global e-auction and e-tender process. Kadapa central depot of the Forest Department has 1,166 metric tonnes of non-grade red sanders, 1.76 metric tonnes of B and 198 metric tonnes of C grade.

Quality

Each of these lots of dressed red sander logs displaying details like e-lot number, grouping of lot, grade, number of logs and weight have been video-graphed for perusal online by foreign buyers filing global tenders. There appears to be confusion among officials with regard to the quality of the logs which ranges from region to region based on the soil conditions.

The wood species which grow in the heart of the Seshachalam Hills and the SV National Park are said to be strong with "highly satisfactory" quantum of the red matter while other with dominant quantity of white matter are considered of lower quality.

According to forest officials in Chittoor, there were stocks to the tune of 2,000 tonnes in Bhakarapet godown and another 2,100 tonnes in Tirupati depot. Stocks in Tirupati include 500 tonnes presently not readied for tenders and another 150 tonne, which had been auctioned in 2007, but not lifted from the depot due to legal complications. In Nellore, there is stock of close to 840 tonnes are available in Venkatagiri, Adurupalli and Udayagiri depots. Though there was one more depot at Podalakuru, the available stock of four tonne was shifted to Udayagiri recently.

(With inputs from M.V. Subrahmanyam in Kadapa, A.D. Rangarajan in Tirupati, K. Umashanker in Chittoor and G. Ravikiran in Nellore)

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