State bound timber trucks seized in Manipur

IMPHAL, May 18 (EMN): Manipur forest and environment minister, Thounaojam Shyamkumar, intercepted 14 timber laden trucks, which were illegally transporting from Myanmar via Kamjong district in Manipur’s Ukhrul district. The truck drivers were found carrying fake transit pass.

The trucks, carrying pine wood and kangara wood logs, were intercepted at the Finch Corner junction along the Imphal-Ukhrul highway located about 60 km away from the state capital, reports reaching here said.

The minister intercepted the trucks as he came out of the Beat Forest Officer, Finch Corner under Ukhrul Division, after inspecting the office on May 17. The forest minister Shyamkumar was returning to Imphal after attending the opening ceremony of 5-day Shirui Festival 2017.

It said the minister first came across three trucks bearing Nagaland registration number. After driving few meters, he sighted 11 more trucks with registration number of Assam and Nagaland which were found seized by Deputy Commissioner, Kamjong, Armstrong Pame and SP Kamjong, L Ragui. The documents of truck drivers were seized by the officials.

Shyamkumar revisited the office of the Beat Forest Officer, Finch Corner, and thoroughly checked the seized documents of the truck drivers along with the DC Kamjong, Armstrong, in the presence of DFO Ukhrul, Manglem Singh; Range Officer, SW Suisa; and Deputy Ranger AS Tuishang; wherein he detected fake signatures on the said documents besides fake transit pass.

Appreciating Kamjong district officials for pulling up the trucks, which were illegally carrying the logs, minister Shyamkumar said Forest Department officers need to perform their duty diligently and sincerely so that the department can achieve the set target revenue of Rs 100 crore annually.

Stating that there was information of logs being stock up at the Kamjong district, he warned that no illegal activities will be allowed in the department.

Assuring that the department will take up activities to conserve the forest land to check the global warming, he expressed the need to improve the revenue of the department so that the said revenue collected can be utilised for the development programmes of the districts. Meanwhile, the seized trucks loaded with logs were handed over to the DFO Ukhrul and RO Kamjong for necessary action.