Baripada: The Forest department arrested five persons for felling valuable trees for timber in Similipal Sanctuary, and forwarded them to a court in Mayurbhanj district, Saturday.
The Forest department has seized five logs of Champa tree, two large saws and three axes from them.
The accused were identified as Rajma Tudu and Mangala Marandi from Kumudabhadi area under Jashipur police station limits, Gopinath Patra and Nane Soren from Asanabani area, and Sukanta Nayak from Basantapur area in the district.
Acting on a tip-off, a team of Forest Department officials conducted a raid and arrested five persons for cutting Champa trees inside the Gudugudia range in the north division of Similipal Tiger Reserve, Friday. They have been charged under sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 for illegally felling trees.
Notably, activities of poachers and timber smugglers are on the rise in Similipal. As the sanctuary continues to be encroached upon, wild animals are increasingly straying towards bordering villages and towns. Large and valuable trees like sal, piasal, arjuna, banyan, peepal, neem, harida, and bahada are being cut down and the timbers are smuggled to neighbouring states of West Bengal and Jharkhand. Police here frequently seize vans transporting timbers to other states.
Locals demanded the Forest department to intensify patrolling and closely monitor not just the entry points but also the active areas to prevent such illegal activities.
PNN