Marayoor (Idukki): Sandalwood worth Rs 100 crore is lying unused and perishing in the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary. A legal restriction prevents the removal of trees, including those that have fallen, from wildlife sanctuaries, tiger reserves and national parks. Due to this, the fallen sandalwood trees in Chinnar cannot be collected or auctioned.
Over 2,500 sandalwood trees, which have dried up, been broken by wind, or overturned by wild animals, are left to rot in the soil. Meanwhile, the forest department is collecting sandalwood from the nearby Marayoor forest, where there are no restrictions related to wildlife sanctuaries and putting them up for auction. This forest is under the Marayoor sandal division and the government earns Rs 100 crore annually through the e-auction of sandalwood from here.
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Smugglers have taken advantage of the fallen trees, starting to steal them. As a result, some trees have been moved to the camp shed within the forest for protection, but many still remain scattered across the sanctuary. Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary shares its border with the Anamalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu and there are growing concerns that fallen sandalwood may be smuggled across this border.
There have been calls for the forest department to step in, retrieve the fallen sandalwood, safeguard it and advocate for changes to the law that would permit this action.
Published: 18 Sept 2024, 10:27 am IST
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