JAMMU, Apr 23: A Beat Guard has been placed under suspension after a vehicle carrying illegal deodar timber was seized in the Bhadarwah area of Doda district.
Officials said acting on a specific input, a joint team of Forest Protection Force and territorial staff of Neru Range intercepted a TATA Mobile vehicle (registration No. JK02B-6463) loaded with 20 deodar green scants measuring 54.44 cft during the intervening night of April 21 and 22 at village Jalga in Compartment 3/N.
During checking, they said the in-charge Beat Guard of Jai 2nd beat, Mushtaq Ahmed Batt, was also found moving in his personal vehicle on the same route, where a mechanical cutter packed in a bag was recovered.
Officials said the source of the seized timber is yet to be ascertained and investigations are underway to determine whether it was extracted from Chiralla or Neru Range.
Meanwhile, pending inquiry, the Beat Guard has been suspended with immediate effect and attached to the Divisional Forest Office, Bhadarwah.
A detailed probe has also been ordered to identify the source of timber and fix responsibility, with directions to submit a report within a week and initiate further legal action.
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