Forest officials in Arunachal Pradesh have successfully intercepted and destroyed 155 illegal timber logs, thwarting a major smuggling operation on the Siang river. The operation, led by the D. Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary and Pasighat Forest Division, dealt a significant blow to the regional timber mafia. The breakthrough came after wildlife rangers patrolling the river in the Sibiyamukh Wildlife Range discovered a large timber raft on Monday afternoon. The raft, carrying logs from Bombax ceiba trees (locally known as Ximolu, Shimul, and Singgi), was illegally being transported via the river. These logs were found near the confluence of Tarotamak and the Siang River.
The timber’s origin was traced to an area between Seram and Kongkul/Padan village in the Seram Beat. The authorities acted swiftly after the community surveillance team, led by US Perme, had raised alarms over similar illegal activities. Due to a lack of facilities for proper timber removal, the logs were destroyed using a chain-saw machine. Five contractual labourers from Lakhimpur, Assam, who were being paid Rs 5,000 for their role in the operation, were detained but released after signing written assurances to refrain from engaging in illegal timber activities in the future.
Pasighat Forest Division’s DFO Hano Moda stressed the gravity of the operation, warning against corruption that allows such illegal activities to thrive. He also urged field staff to be vigilant and resist bribes from timber operators, who often use the Siang river to transport logs as it is a cheaper and less risky alternative to road transport.
