Manipur Minister warns of action against erring forest officials

Imphal March 27 (IANS) Manipur Forest Minister T. Shyamkumar on Tuesday warned of action against forest officials who failed to perform their duties properly.

The warning came after he visited Awang Sekmai on Tuesday to check the interception of nine trucks transporting high-quality sand from Dimapur in Nagaland. There is a heavy demand for this sand in Manipur for quality construction work.

Shyamkumar has in the past raided illegal saw mills and intercepted trucks carrying logs and sawed wood.

A few days ago 19 trucks transporting timber smuggled from Myanmar were intercepted by Shyamkumar in Kamjong district bordering Myanmar. The truck drivers led him and officials to an unlicenced saw mill near the border.

Officials said that timber valued at approximately Rs 3 crore was seized from there.

--IANS
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