16/09/2025
NGOs police forest department seized illegall saw mills under Raksamgre Civil Sub Division
Raksamgre, Sept 16, 2025: Various NGOs of the Pedaldoba region, SDO of Raksamgre Civil Sub Division, Police force, and the Hollaidanga Range Office's forest department seized nine illegal saws on 12th September 2025(yesterday). The illegal saw mills operation in the border area of Assam, in the Villages of Medhipara, Hatogaon, Rongsai, Borogobal, Motapara, Besorkona, etc., which falls under Raksamgre Civil Sub Division.
The illegal activities and rampant felling of trees for timber, as well as many illicit sawmills that have sprouted in the region, defying all efforts to put a stop to the illegal trade.
The raid was led by the SDO and state forest team of the territorial range along with GSMC, AYWO and FKJGP which worked together on the matter and seized nine saw mills with more then ten trucks of logs.
We have learned from reliable sources that there could be at least another 50 such illegal operators in the Raksamgre and Tikrikilla region. The timber that comes to these mills apparently comes from the low-lying hills of the plain belt. These saw mills belong to both the indigenous and non indigenous of the region as well as those from neighbouring Assam.
This is a menace that needs to be stopped with immediate effect due to the danger it poses to the environment and to the water table. We have seen how water has become a scarce resource even in places which had abundant water. Unless we make efforts to stop these illegal acts, our region will soon become bone dry in the years to come.
During the seizure, the extent of damage caused to the environment could be gauged from the fact that within the premises of the saw mill, hundreds of logs of various ages lay around – most of which were not even mature trees.
The removal of forest cover has eliminated the natural temperature regulation that trees provide through transpiration and shade. Without this vegetative buffer, solar radiation directly heats the ground, creating localised heat islands.
This phenomenon has contributed to sudden temperature spikes that catch communities unprepared, particularly affecting agricultural cycles and water availability. Winter patterns have become increasingly erratic, with some years experiencing unusually warm temperatures while others bring unexpected cold snaps.
These unpredictable seasonal transitions disrupt traditional farming practices and stress both wild and domestic plant species that depend on consistent seasonal cues for growth and reproduction cycles.
Perhaps the most alarming consequence of this environmental destruction is the systematic collapse of the region's water systems. The hydrological cycle, which depends on forest cover to regulate precipitation, infiltration, and groundwater recharge, has been severely disrupted across all affected areas.
It is therefore, we, the NGOs of the region warn those who are smuggling the timbers and unauthorised operating the saw mills to stop early as possible.
The seized materials were sent to the Holaidanga Range Office.
