Timber seized along Indo-Bangla border

A consignment of Sal timber, being smuggled to Bangladesh, worth Rs six lakh was seized by BSF personnel from Meghalaya's South Garo Hills district, officials said here today.
BSF officers said Sal trees are felled in Balpakram National Park and then transported through the river routes to Bangladesh.
Acting on a tip-off, BSF men intercepted the consignment, with pre-defined identification marks for easy collection at the other side, floating in a river along Indo-Bangladesh border.
The consignment comprised Sal and non-Sal wood worth Rs 6,28,000, BSF officials said.
There has been a spurt in the illegal timber trade across the international border which is flourishing along the unfenced portion of the border, especially in South Garo Hills district, they said.