3 wood-based industries asked to suspend functioning in

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu said on Wednesday that three wood-based industries in Longding district have been instructed to suspend functioning till verification of stock and relevant records are found to be genuine.

Responding to a question raised in the Assembly by Congress MLA Wanglin Lowangdong on massive illegal felling of trees under Borduria village reserve forest, particularly in Bogapani, Naitong and New Paniduria in Tirap district, Khandu said that licenses of the three industries have been seized by the forest department.

"I will ask the department to investigate the matter on how the three industries were set up violating the Supreme Court's guidelines in running timber industries and appropriate action will be initiated against the officers if any lapses are found," Khandu, who also holds the Environment & Forest portfolio, said.

The chief minister assured the House that he would ensure that the department would submit its report within 10 days so that action could be taken against the officials.

Khandu added that the chief conservator of forest (CCF) Deomali, was instructed on January 29 and February 13, to conduct an inspection and submit a report on illegal felling of trees.

"The CCF informed that the Range Forest Officer of Borduria had detected illegal timber during patrolling and Divisional Forest Officer of Khonsa submitted that no elephants and trucks were noted," Khandu said.

However, fresh road clearing was detected in Borduria forest range and the inspection team opined that the road could be used to transport illegal timber from Assam to the wood-based industries in the region," the chief minister said, adding that investigation is on.