Source also said that checking at the inter-state check gates are only conducted when there is tip off from intelligence or when there is specific information about the illegal transportation of Red Sander.

In 2006, Dhubri Forest Division seized two trucks with Red Sander logs weighing 11 tons while in 2009, it seized 8.04 tons of Red Sander and again seized Red Sander weighing 30 tons loaded in two trucks in October 8 this year.

According to sources, this Red Sander which is having a huge demand in China and Japan is being smuggled out using road routes through six states including Assam’s Dhubri district to reach the frontier — the Manipur township of Moreh, bordering Myanmar.

Red Sander is grown in just about 5.16 lakh hectares of land, most of it in the Seshachalam Hills and Kadapa, Chittor, Nellore, Prakasan and Kurnool districts of Andhra Pradesh.

What is a major point of concern is the presence of Uranium in Red Sander. Uranium content in the Red Sander is 1.22 ppm to 0.03 ppm and there are reports doing around about red sander being used as a coolant in nuclear reactors in some Asian countries, sources pointed out.

But despite the presence of uranium in the Red Sander wood, it is surprising to note that there is no instruction from any Central government department like Defence or The Atomic Research Centre to confiscate the wood or imposition of a ban on the transportation of the wood at least to the states which are located at the proximity of China, an official source said.

Sources also said that beside the uranium property presence, Red Sander wood has high demand for medicinal values and is widely used for making different kinds of decorative furniture in Buddhist temples in many South Asian countries.

To prevent precious national wealth from being smuggled out, Divisional Forest Official of Dhubri Forest Division, H. K. Sarmah had detained the trucks carrying wood and forwarded the documents to the higher Forest officials at Guwahati for verification.

When contacted, the Divisional Forest Official of Dhubri Forest Division, H. K. Sarmah said that they had confiscated trucks with Red Sander logs but this time the party has produced documents with transporting permit (TP) of Burdhaman Forest Division and this is being verified.

“We have already cross checked the documents and sent them to our higher authority for their necessary order. However, strict vigilance is being maintained to stop the illegal transportation of Red Sander logs though the NH 31 route which transverses through Dhubri district”, Sarmah said.

Bijoy Sharma