2 weeks ago
Punjab Forest Department Raids Factory, Seizes Suspected Illegal Khair Wood
Forest officials in Punjab found a factory storing a large amount of khair wood.
The factory makes kattha, an extract from khair tree heartwood.
Officials suspect some of the wood may have come from trees cut down illegally.
They first noticed suspected illegal felling in two forest areas.
CCTV footage helped them follow a vehicle believed to have carried the wood.
This led them to the factory in Sothiana village.
The factory was raided and sealed, and the wood was seized.
Officials say the factory did not show documents proving where the wood came from.
They are still checking how much wood was seized and how much it is worth.
The Punjab Forest Department raided and sealed a kattha manufacturing unit in Sothiana village, Hoshiarpur.
Officials seized a large quantity of khair wood suspected to be linked to illegal felling and transportation.
The factory management allegedly could not produce permits, transit passes, purchase records or other source documents.
Investigators traced a suspected timber-transport vehicle using CCTV footage after detecting illegal felling in Satial and Bichhoi beats.
The seized wood’s quantity and value have not yet been assessed, though officials preliminarily estimated it could be worth crores of rupees.
- Who
- The Punjab Forest Department, led in the raid by Deputy DFO Vyanktesh, investigated the factory; Hoshiarpur DFO Dharmveer Dairu provided details.
- What
- Officials raided and sealed a kattha manufacturing unit and seized khair wood suspected to be illegally sourced.
- Where
- At a kattha manufacturing unit in Sothiana village on the Hoshiarpur-Tanda road, under the Hariana Forest Range in Hoshiarpur, Punjab.
- When
- The raid took place during the night after suspected illegal felling was detected the previous week; the department reported the action on Tuesday.
- Why
- Officials suspected illegal felling and transportation of khair and said the factory management could not produce valid documents establishing the wood’s lawful source.
Key facts
- Location
- Sothiana village, Hoshiarpur, Punjab
- Facility
- Kattha (catechu) manufacturing unit
- Material seized
- A large quantity of khair wood
- Estimated value
- Preliminarily suspected by officials to be worth crores of rupees; assessment is pending
- Evidence trail
- CCTV footage and movement of a suspected timber-transport vehicle
- Missing records
- Permits, transit passes, purchase records and other source documents
- Recent enforcement
- Around 10 to 12 vehicles allegedly involved in illegal transportation have been seized during recent operations
Sources
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