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Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Forest officials seize timber and mobile sawmill in Ganjam
Berhampur: Forest officials seized a large quantity of timber, a mobile sawmill attached to a tractor and a timber-laden mini-truck from Palasapalli village in Ganjam district on Thursday night. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "The value of the seized items, including around 70 cubic feet of timber, two vehicles and the sawmill, was estimated at over Rs 8 lakh," said divisional forest officer (DFO) of Ghumusar North, Himansu Sekhar Mohanty, on Friday. Acting on a tip-off, a forest team led by assistant conservator of forests (ACF) Bibek Das raided the village. Sensing the arrival of the team, the accused fled, abandoning the vehicles, saw machines and timber. No arrests have been made yet. "We have also written to the regional transport officer (RTO) to ascertain the ownership of the seized vehicles. The case will be registered against the vehicle owners for engaging in illegal felling," said the DFO. He said that for the first time, they seized a mobile sawmill. The accused adopted a unique practice of sawing logs by fitting cutting machines on the tractor and then moving to other places, he added. He said they instructed the field staff to conduct patrolling in the vulnerable areas to crack down on the illegal trade and cutting of timber. "A squad led by the ACF has now been formed to intensify the drive," added the DFO.
Time of India
12-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Bisons thrive in Ganjam reserve forest
1 2 Berhampur: After Debrigarh and Mahanadi wildlife sanctuaries, a sizeable population of the endangered Indian bison is found in Malati reserve forest under Ghumusar North division in Ganjam district. Also called gaur, their number is estimated to be around 70 to 80 in the area, forest officials said. The animal is also found in Chandragiri and Ambajhari forests under Tarsingi range but their number is less than in Malati, they said. "If one visits Malati reserve forest, one can witness the herds of the huge and strong animals roaming freely," said Himansu Sekhar Mohanty, DFO of Ghumusar North. "Though no census has been conducted, their population has been increasing," he said. Mohanty said they have proposed the govt to conduct a bison census in the division and to set up a watchtower for visitors. "Conservation measures taken up by the forest department and protection by locals are some of the reasons for the rise in gaur population. The animals had destroyed standing crops but farmers did not harm them," he further said. "We have provided compensation for crop loss to the farmers immediately. In 2024-25, we provided a compensation Rs 27,590 to nine farmers for destruction of standing crops," the DFO said. "We have created a water body and renovated another at Rs 7.5 lakh and Rs 2 lakh, respectively," he added. Meadow development programmes for increasing food, water and safety of the animals have been taken up under the Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH) scheme, officials said.
Time of India
06-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Ganjam forest officials dispatch first lot of timber to SJTA
Berhampur: Forest officials in Ghumusar north division in Ganjam district dispatched their first lot of timber to Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Tuesday. The wood will be used for construction of the chariots for Rath Yatra in Puri, which will be held on June 27. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The construction started on Akshya Trutiya, April 30. "We proposed to supply 89 pieces of logs of two species for the construction of the chariots. In the first lot, we supplied 23 pieces of 40-ft long timbers — ashana and dharua — on Tuesday after performing some rituals," said Himansu Sekhar Mohanty, divisional forest officer of Ghumusar north. The first lot of asana and dhaura was collected from the Ghoghada forest under Tarsingi range. The next lot will be collected from the Baibili reserve forest under Muzagarh range soon. Asana and dharua are generally used to make the axles of the chariots. Last year, the division also supplied asana and dharua logs to SJTA for the construction of the chariots. Last year, the Ganjam administration had collected phasi (a type of timber), which grows on private land. However, this year, it will not supply phasi as SJTA has collected this type from other districts. Ganjam has been supplying different species of logs for the last four years for the construction of the chariots. Every year, the chariots of the deities are made from new wood. Generally, the Nayagarh forest division supplies the logs for the chariots but sources said since that species of trees has been dwindling in Nayagarh, SJTA has asked other forest divisions for the wood. On Monday, forest officials in Sambalpur district also supplied several ashana and dharua to SJTA for use in chariot construction , sources said.
