ITANAGAR, Oct 19: Alleging unabated illegal timber operation which is leading to large scale forest destruction in East Siang district under the nose of forest officials, a students’ organization from Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and instruct the state government to take ‘drastic’ action against the ‘erring’ forest officers.
Seeking to draw the Prime Minister’s attention on the matter, Arunachal Students Association (ASA), in a memorandum submitted to the PMO, said, “We would like to draw your serious attention towards the unabated large scale timber felling and operation going on in East Siang district with rampant functioning of several unlicensed sawmills/bend sawmills besides transportation of thousands of logs in rafts through waterway of Siang river to Assam.”
The ASA said, it had submitted memorandum to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Head of Forest Force (HoFF), Govt of Arunachal Pradesh to take action against the erring officials whose possible connivance and support with the timber mafias contributing to “large timber illegalities in the daylight”.
Besides demanding a thorough investigation into the matter, the Association also sought for suspension of the Divisional Forest Officer, Pasighat Forest Division and the Chief Conservator of Forest, Central Arunachal Circle for their alleged failure to check rampant illegal timber operation in the region.
“Even your direction to the Government of Arunachal Pradesh for checking rampant illegal timber trade is not being taken seriously by the state forest department here,” alleged ASA, which had on May 23 lodged a complaint of rampant timber operation with the PMO.
“The number of illegalities of timber operations are growing unabatedly even after our complaint of rampant timber illegalities at your office on 23/05/2022,” it said.
“Once again we pray to your good office to intervene and direct the state government of Arunachal Pradesh to take drastic action against the erring forest officers so that a strong and exemplary message could be sent out to other corrupt officers.
“Since environment issue is not only state issue, but a national and global issue today, we fear that if strong actions are not taken at this hour, more destruction of forest will take place here in Arunachal Pradesh which happily receives ‘green bonus’ and other aids in the name of environment protection from the Centre, but in contrary allowing huge forest destruction here,” the ASA maintained.