Himachal gears up to stop illegal extraction of cedar oil

Himachal Pradesh Forest minister Govind Singh Thakur today announced the formation of a joint team of police and forest department officials to crack down on illegal extraction of cedar oil.

The move follows the seizure of a huge quantity of illegally extracted cedar oil from the forests in Chopal area of Shimla district.

The forest department has discovered furnaces installed deep inside the forest areas by miscreants for the extraction of cedar oil, the minister said.

Cedar oil finds usage in the pharmaceutical industry and also in the production of aromatic oils, sources in the forest department said, adding that the value of the seized oil could be more than Rs 1.50 crore in the international market.