Illegal felling of teak has further increased in Adilabad, showing the Forest Department in poor light and smugglers making light of the fact that the Forest and Environment Minister hails from this district.
Information pieced together by The Hindu showed part of the forest on the border of Adilabad and Nirmal Forest Divisions falling in Mamda and Nirmal mandals as the epi-centre of the illegal activity from where a bulk of timber was smuggled.
Illegal felling of teak has been concentrated in the forest close to the villages of Mondigutta where ironically the Forest Department has the NH-44 check post, apart from Pulimadugu and Medipalli.
The routes for transporting timber were Burugupalli-Rayadari-Jagadamba tanda which exits at Parimandal, and Pulimadaugu-Medipalli-Bhagyanagar that exits on the Nirmal-Mancherial road near Ratnapur-Kandli.
The timber felled in the forest near Pulimadugu was being brought down from the hillocks to the ancient Burugupalli Rajeshwaraswamy temple in bullock carts for loading into lorries. Timber was also being taken to Medipalli for loading near the huge open space that was meant as night-shelter for the herds of buffaloes, for onward transportation to saw mills in neighbouring Nizamabad district.
At least 20 cyclists from Bhagyanagar were engaged in bringing timber either to loading points or to transport to Nirmal via Ellapally. The illegally felled timber was loaded mostly at dawn in mini vans and reach Nizamabad through the NH-44 after crossing the Soan inter-district border check point or through the circuitous route via Basar.
New ways of smugglers
The smugglers have been using innovative methods such numbering the felled trees in the same fashion as done by the Forest Department.
At least three lorry loads of teak valued at about Rs. 10 lakh were smuggled out every alternate day to saw mills in Nizamabad that operate under the protection of political bigwigs, according to sources.
The names of three smugglers, who belonged to Motapur tanda near Ratnapur Kandli, Pulimadugu and three Gudiselu near Medipalli, have emerged during investigations. The Hindu is withholding the names for obvious reasons, but sources say the Forest Department has been aware of the identities.
