Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Jan 16: Forest Department today conducted raids on illegal bandsaw units and sealed five of them in Hakbara area of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district.
An official said during checking at least five units were sealed on spot which was found operating in violation of rules. The timber issued to beneficiaries from A and B Zone depots were also found in the premises of these units in violation of rules which was seized on spot.
It is pertinent to note that timber issued in A and B zone Forest Sales depots cannot be crushed at any bandsaw unit as per the directions of Supreme court. Such timber can be subjected to hand sawing only. The timber in A and B zones is sold at highly subsidized rates by Government, the official said, adding the Forest department has now widened its dragnet by closing down illegal bandsaw units in their effort to control forest damages.
“The five units sealed today belong to Ghulam Rasool Dar, Farooq Ahmad Mir, Ghulam Nabi Karnai, Mohammed Subhan Dar and Abdul Rehman Dar,” the official added.
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