Locals eye ‘inferior’ red sanders in Satyavedu for pocket money

Youth enter the forest range to pick up roots of felled trees

Forest officials with seized ‘inferior variety’ red sanders roots under Satyavedu range in Chittoor district.

The forests of Satyavedu range have been witnessing a spurt in the number of red sanders smugglers in the reserve zones on hillocks and slopes for “poor quality” wood.

According to forest officials, local youth take the risk for nominal amounts to meet their sundry expenses and pocket money.

Unlike Seshachalam hills, spread over Tirupati wildlife zone and Kadapa district with its rich presence of highly quality red sanders, the Satyavedu range has some scattered presence of the species, officially considered “of very poor quality”.

A few days ago, forest officials nabbed a local person, and seized eight roots of red sanders trees picked up from the Tripurantaka Puram forests.

The officials said the red sanders are found on the hillocks between Pitchatur and Sri Kalahasti., and Nagalapuram-Varadaiahpalem road.

Role of local youth

During the last couple of years, some youth belonging to the villages abutting the foothills have been regularly entering the forests and procuring the roots of the already felled trees. The material would later be clandestinely shifted to some location in Tamil Nadu. Incidentally, the hills with presence of poor quality red sanders are located close to the Tamil Nadu border.

Though some red sanders plantations, maintained by the forest department, are present elsewhere in Satyavedu range, seasoned red sanders smugglers avoid them. The forest officials maintain that the plantations are safe from the smuggling mafia as “they are of very inferior quality.”

Disposing it of

Forest Range Officer J. Prasada Rao told The Hindu that the “misguided” youth were procuring the roots from the forests. “They are dabbling with the material in various ways. It would be cut into small chips and sometimes powdered before being disposed of at the border areas.”

The official said though the red sanders was of inferior quality, it was the duty of the forest department to protect the trees. “Most of the trespassers into the reserve forests eye the roots of felled red sanders trees to earn something for their expenses such as liquor and food. We have intensified searches for more number of local persons involved in this illegal business,” he added.