*Truck smuggling timber to Punjab seized
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 16: The border road of Kathua, connecting boundaries of Gurdaspur district of Punjab has become a safe haven for the timber and bovine smugglers. While the timber is being smuggled to Punjab from this side, the bovine animals are being smuggled from Punjab side to Kashmir by the smugglers using this route.
Sources said that the route mainly used by the smugglers include, Hiranagar, Chadwal, Sanji Morh, Haria Check, Kote Punnu and Bamyal and then Taragarh and Dinanagar areas of Gurdaspur district. When the water level goes down in river Ravi during these summer days or winters, then some other river- routes near Kathua and Saar Khud are used by the truckers, specially for bovines smuggling.
“A nexus of smugglers and `some key officials’ in the Forest Department and the Border Police is allegedly operating for the last few years. Not only these two things, even the drug smugglers and those involved in illegal activity of mining on this side of the Punjab-J&K border use this route and carry out their illegal activity without any fear under the nose of local administration,” the sources added.
A yet another truck was seized by the Forest official during early hours today at Dyala Chak Forest Check Post, in tehsil Hiranagar of district Kathua. This truck bearing registration number JK14J/0068 was coming from Majalta area of Udhampur and was loaded with 130 logs of timber (Eucolyptus).
The DFO Kathua, Rajan Singh Thakur when contacted said that though truck had only permission up to Kathua but it was going to Hoshiarpur in Punjab. He said the truck has been seized and the source of the timber/logs of wood, is being verified. One Kewal Kumar hailing from village Sunal near Thial had taken permission of transportation of this timber upto only Kathua but the truck was illegally moving to Punjab.
Singh said hardly two weeks ago another truck loaded with timber was seized by Forest staff near Nagri on Punjab-Kathua border. The staff at border check posts has been asked to remain vigilant. He said they have yet another joint check post with Forest Protection Force (FPF) at Kote Punnu on border road and other two check posts at Lakhanpur and Nagri. These are being further strengthened, he added.
However, the sources revealed that not only trucks even tractor trolleys loaded with timber/ fire wood cross over to Gurdaspur during night hours. While scores of such vehicles cross over to that side during a month but hardly a few are seized during this period for the reason known to the people at the helm of affairs. Even for bovines same strategy has been observed for the last several years, sources said.
A former Sarpanch from Hiranagar border belt without disclosing his identity revealed that despite the presence of Police and Forest check posts on both the sides of Kathua and Gurdaspur border, this illegal activity continues to thrive for the last several years. But during recent past, there is hardly any check on this activity. Dumpers and tippers loaded with material (stones/gravel/sand) from Khuds and rivers mostly operate during might hours. The people residing along the border road are unable to sleep. This route is also used by the drug-peddlers and smugglers and many bikers from adjoining Punjab with `Chitta’ (heroin) come via this route and are spoiling youth of this area. The matter was also brought to the notice of concerned officials but there is no check at all.
He further disclosed that 2-3 factories of plywood exist in Gurdaspur area of Punjab and much needed raw material to these units is supplied through this route. Jasrota Range of Kathua is meeting the main demand of these units. The officers sitting at higher position must take cognizance of the matter, he added.
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