Extremists & Timber Mafias Are In Active

Timber Mills Of Indian States & Bangladesh Are Running In Full Swing By Green Gold Of Northeast India
Prohibitory Warning Order To Stop Illegal Falling Of Forests In Northeast India
ILLEGAL RAPING OF FORESTS IN NORTHEAST INDIA
SHIB SHANKAR CHATTERJEE
The North-East Himalayan region presents a diverse system of habitats ranging from tropical rain
forests to alpine meadows. These varied eco-systems distributed along different latitudinal as well as
altitudinal limits contain endangered fascinating flora and fauna derived from varied biomasses of ‘Earth’
(that is, World).
The forest areas of North-East Indian States like Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram,
Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and West-Bengal, have are one of the most important reserved deep
forest and rain-forest areas in this sub-Himalayan territory for developing a comprehensive network of bio-
diversity conservation. It includes a number of verified natural habitats and is rich in communities in species,
in varieties and in endemics.
Ironically, very little has been done to either study or protect these areas in the past. The largest
number of bio-diversity hotspots in the Asia, as well as the country is also found here. Also a large number of
valuable wildlife resources are yet to be enumerated strictly in accordance with facts and figures.
It is fact that the North-Eastern States Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim,
Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and West-Bengal have always been cut-off from the rest of the Indian
peninsular region. This has mainly stemmed from the natural geographic conditions of the region. This sad
states of neglected pertains not only to the ecological conditions, but also to the economic, social and political
situation.
Today, when the whole humanity is raising a hue and cry for preserving the environmental and
maintaining the ecological balance, which has been lost for long primarily due to thoughtless activities of men,
some foreign and national noxious agencies joined hands to destroyed the already half shattered of North-East
India to make mega bucks.
The news of the recent molestation of the forest wealth of the aforesaid Indian States exposes the ill
motive or intention of the wildlife poachers, wood-smugglers, illegal migrant encroachers and militant groups
also, who eke out an existence from this.
As per local people, after the non stop looping of forests of the aforesaid states either by the wood-
smugglers or by the illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators or extremist groups (like earlier Bodo, Adibashi Santhal et
cetera during their ‘Movement’ of separate homeland) caused extensive damage to the dense and rain-forests
of North-East India, which resulted in heavy and unbridled plunder of forest resources.
“It is true that the militants or extremists of North-Eastern States, (especially in Manipur, Nagaland,
Tripura, Meghalaya, Assam and Mizoram) dominated the illegal felling trees business, earning crores of
rupees for their outfit’s coffers or to mobilise the Movement. Though, for the few times it was stopped due to
the resistance put by a section of ultras. But, now it is once again going in full swing in the aforementioned
states of forests”, claimed the local Non Governmental Organaization (NGO) related to environment and
wildlife.
In fact, “The militant charges Rs. 25 to Rs. 75 for every cubic feet of wood smuggled from the wood
cutters. The smugglers in turn, sell it to the middlemen, like mostly immigrant Muslims, who finally sell it
to the saw-mills in the Indian State, West-Bengal and also to the neighbouring country, the then East-
Pakistan that is, East-Bengal, presently Bangladesh including the other parts of India, with heavy charging”,
emphasized the activists of environmental NGOs, all sections of people and the local plywood factory or
saw-mill owners of West Bengal State and others states of India including Bangladesh, where their aforesaid
factories are running in full swing.
These aforesaid West Bengal State and the others states of India and the Bangladesh plywood factory
or mill owners admitted that their mills and the furniture shops are feed by the ‘Green-Gold’ of Northeast
India. Not only that even, in Northeast India, where about 700-numbers to 800-numbers of village man,
woman, child and youth fetch fire wood from the forests, reserve forest, rain-forest, et cetera of the
abovementioned Northeast Indian States to meet the up-growing demand of the local and poor tea-stalls,
hotels, bakeries and the construction for houses, house furnishing materials, like furniture, bridges (in
villages), et cetera.
In this context, it can be mentioned here that it is fact that in the year 2001, the outfit like Bodo
(specially, National Democratic Front of Boroland - NDFB and Bodo Liberation Tigers - BLT), United
Liberation Front of Asam (ULFA), et cetera had imposed a blanket ban on illegal felling of trees in the eastern
Indian State, Assam and also ordered 144 Dhara (that is, Section) in the forest areas. To stop this illegal
nonstop looting and plundering of Green-Gold, an ‘Organization’ of young stars better known as rebels,
formed NDFB. The members of these organizations proclaimed that heavy punishment will be inflicted upon
them, who will illegally plunder the wealth of the forests. In this connection, a notice was also issued and
displayed in this regard. All these are done, when the Government has utterly failed to protect and preserve
this wealth of the Bodo Tribe peoples in the proposed Bodoland areas upon, which economic and social
prosperity of this peoples depend.
The son of the soil, the Bodos of these organization declared that these unwanted wood-cutters and
smugglers will be done to death as and when found committing such offenses or illegal activities. The
organization in a circulation clearly warned those illegal wood-cutters and smugglers that they would not
1
tolerate this thing any more. They would not allow them to steal even a small piece of wood whatsoever from
their forest. It is national wealth and they would not let it to be plundered in this way any more. The
organization further proclaimed that none would be pardoned if and when found raping their natural wealth.
However, in the year 2005, again the said organizations, NDFB and BLT have joined the All Bodo
Students’ Organisation (ABSU) in the same issue and released a statement. “Our organization, NDFB has
determined to keep vigil in the forest areas in order to safeguard the shrinking jungles. Not only that we have
decided to stop illegal felling, cutting, smuggling of trees and illegal intrusion of forestland. Even, we urge the
Forest Department of Bodo Territorial Council And Districts (BTCAD) and the all sections of people to prevent
these kinds of unlawful subversive activities, before it’s too late”, warned B. Sudem, and some dedicated top
most NDFB leaders.
According to this organization, “It is nothing but a great conspiracy against the peace loving
inhabitants of the forests under proposed Bodoland areas in the state, Assam, which aims to bring their ruin
and so they have decided to put an end to this underhand activities. But, this needy people could not keep
themselves restraint from doing these activities. They went to forest for cutting and stealing timber and had to
face its consequence : such as ‘death’. Therefore, if the wood-cutters and the illegal timber smugglers do not
hold back from doing such activities, they will have to meet such unkind fate. The extremists want to extricate
forest resources by exterminating all illegal activities”.
“The forests of above Eastern Indian States have noted for their endangered species of flora and fauna,
evergreen forests and wonderful wild creatures, which have brought a good amount of revenue for the
exchequer of the above states as well as are the sources of the daily income of the forest dwellers. But, now
these forests have lost their all or destroyed due to the Government attitude for issuing permit indiscriminate-
ly during the year 1980 to 1994. This is done by some noted members of the political parties in alliance with
unscrupulous timber merchants, the leaders of the forest villages and so on”, claimed the nature lover peoples
of Northeast India.
Though, this has now diminished to a degree because of the historic verdict issued by the honourable
Supreme Court of India (SCI) on 17th December, 1996, banning all sorts of cutting and destroying or felling of
trees and its movement to Eastern Indian States except the West-Bengal State of India. But, this verdict put a
threat to the West Bengal State Forests and Wildlife. However, the aforesaid verdict also put a stumbling bar
on the illegal timber trade and the timber merchants and the smugglers had to wind up their business for the
time being of Eastern India as a whole.
Although, hand-saws are being used for felling trees with the connivance of forest officials, while mills
are being fitted with improvised silencers to operate at night. Smugglers are also setting up band-saws inside
remote forests. They are making good use of the honourable courts permission to sell felled timber, while as
per the verdict issued by the SCI, no sawing-machine be set up within the 03-kilometre area of the Reserve
Forest.
The most interesting fact is that yet in the Indian State, West-Bengal (specially, North-Bengal sector
areas), there are around 20-numbers to 25-numbers of sawing-machine operating in an around Buxa Reserve
Forest as well as Jaldapara Reserve Forest areas. While, according to the Census Report furnished by the
Indian Forest Department, out of 35-numbers to 40-numbers of saw-mills are illegal under the Coochbehar
District Forest division of West Bengal State. It is also learned that, saw-mills have sprung up in Garmocha,
Bhutnirhat, Mechbeel, Madarihat Road, Raichenga, Kharyerkot, Dalimpur, Chuakata, Jateshwar and its
adjoining areas under Coochbehar district of the State West-Bengal, which stands on Indian interstate
boundary between Assam State and West-Bengal State areas. They are set up here and there in each and every
lane and by-lane by degrees at the interval of 03-months like cottage-industry and various logs of Sal, Segun,
Sishu, Titachanpa, Gamari, et cetera are found piled in front of aforesaid these saw-mills. Apart from this,
some of the big saw-mills are often found operating in the Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts
(under North-Bengal sector) of West-Bengal State, who have no licenses or permits.
To speak the truth, still, timber smuggling, both West-Bengal State (that is, India) and Bangladesh is
an unchecked routine work day in and day out in aforesaid Indian Assam-West-Bengal interstate border and
West-Bengal and Assam (that is, India) – Bangladesh international border districts. Though, along the
aforesaid Indian interstate border (West Bengal State side) a number of saw or veneer or plywood mills are
not only to be found (even, after the verdict of the honourable SCI order, banning all sorts of cutting and
destroying of forest product of entire North-East India), but also along the West-Bengal (that is, India)–
Bangladesh international border (that is, Bangladesh side) and it has to estimated more than hundreds of saw
or veneer or plywood mills. They are fed by smuggled timber of the jungles from Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram
and West Bengal States, which are sent to the saw mills of Indian West-Bengal State as well as the Bangladesh
sides by the wood-smugglers in various ways.
However, “Especially, the Reserve Forests of Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling districts of West-
Bengal State area, Dhubri, Barpeta, Kokrajhar, Goalpara, Karimganj, Hailakandi districts of Assam State
sector, North Tripura , South Tripura, West Tripura and Dhalai districts of Tripura State zone, the West Garo
Hills, South Garo Hills, West Khashi Hills, East Khashi Hills and Jaintia Hills districts of Meghalaya State
region and Mizoram State’s Mamit, Lunglei, Lawngtlai districts are regularly destroyed. The interesting fact is
that all the above districts of the abovementioned states are touched the international border with Bangladesh
and the forests of the above districts almost totally disappeared because of illegal felling or looping of trees by
not only smugglers but also chiefly by the illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators”, stated one of the renowned
environmental experts of Northeast India, Debajit Sharma.
2
 “There are hundred of hundred numbers of small and big saw-mill, plywood-mill, veneer-mill in
Lalmonirhat, Nilfamari, Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, Dianjpur, Jaipurhat, Naogaon, Nawabganj, Rajsahi,
Kushtia, Meherpur, Chuadanga, Jhenaidah, Jessore, Satkhira (opposite to Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling,
North-Dinajpur or Uttar Dianjpur [earlier known as – East Dinajpur], South Dinajpur or Dakhhin Dianjpur
[earlier known as – West Dinajpur], Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North-24-Parganas or Uttar-24-Parganas
and South-24-Parganas or Dakhhin-24-Parganas districts of West Bengal State of India), Kurigram, Sylhet
(opposite to Dhubri [and it’s adjacent Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Goalpara districts], Karimganj [and it’s
adjoining Hailakandi district] district of Assam State of India), Sherpur, Maymanshing, Netrokona,
Sunamganj (opposite to West Garo Hills, South Garo Hills, West Khashi Hills, East Khashi Hills and Jaintia
Hills districts of Meghalaya State of India), Rangamati (opposite to Mamit, Lunglei, Lawngtlai districts of
Mizoram State of India), Khagrachar, Chittagong, Feni, Comilla, Brahmanbaria and Habiganj (opposite to
South Tripura, West Tripura, Dhalai and North Tripura districts of Tripura State of India) districts of
Bangladesh thrive on smuggled timber from the Indian States like - West-Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura
and also Mizoram,” confirmed the intelligence source of Border Security Force of India (BSFI) and the Indian
Forest Departments, the Indian State Police Departments of this particular Northeast Indian region.
“To carry out the aforesaid illegal ‘business’ (that is, the timber from the woodlands, that is, jungles
of Northeast India), the smugglers use all sorts of transportation like bullock-carts, horse-carts and buffalo-
carts, pull-carts, (which is locally called Thela), bicycles, tri-cycles (which is locally called Rickshaw) and
even, during the rainy seasons or monsoon period, different types of boats through the water routes
(specially, when the small rivers and tributaries of world’s one of the longest river, Brahmaputra, are in spate)
and uses some porous India Bangladesh international border, where International Barbed Wire Border Fence
(IBWBF) has not been erected, yet or incomplete. Sometimes, in hilly areas, the numerous rivulets dotting the
hills also serve as potential smuggling routes.
Apart from this, trucks, railway-wagons and coaches are also used off and on, whenever the timber is
to be such to some distant part of the ‘State’ or ‘Country’. It is not true that Indian forest officials are not aware
of these of affairs. But, some unwritten memorandum of the understanding are believed to be there between
the dishonest forest officials, smugglers and also the BSFI personnel and this often becomes effective, when
a ‘battalion’ remains for a long time at the same post. As a result, of which smuggling of timbers remains not
only unchecked but also unchallenged at so many interstate and international check-posts on the route”,
informed the local observers and the nature lover activists of Northeast India.
The reckless ravage of the reserve and non-reserve forest of the Northeast India by a class of timber
smugglers with the aid of some senseless forest officials, frightened the forest dwellers, who later on
got together to preserve their natural wealth as well as their entity.
In Northeast India, the officials of the Indian Union Minister for Environment and Forest, expressing
concern over the depleting forest cover in entire Northeast Indian States Assam, who had only 25% (percent)
to 30% (percent) of its area under forests cover. However, which is, on only pen and paper; in reality the forest
cover is much less. The officials also disclosed, “Last 10-years to 15-years, the forests of Northeast India have
not only been plundered by extremists, poachers and illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators but also by a section of
politicians, businessmen and the corrupt officials of the Indian Security Forces, who have strong illegal nexus
with the smugglers, the anti-social elements as well as the militant groups”. Though, in the earlier India
Central Government decided to set up a Forest Strike Force (FSF) to protect wild flora and fauna that is, the
‘green Gold’ of Northeast India, which will be great help in future, but in vain.
The environmentalists and the conscious peoples of this region say that these forests having boundless
natural wealth will shortly turns into a ‘desert’, if such a wanton destruction goes on in an unchecked way.

(Author is former Photographer-cum-Contributor of BBC, The Statesman, The Times of India &
Hindustan Times of Northeast India/The writer specialises in South Asia Affairs)