Odisha Vigilance Forest Wing Busts Illegal Sawmills; Seizes Timber, Accessories Worth Rs 46 Lakh

Bhubaneswar: In a crackdown on illegal sawmills, the forest wing of Odisha Vigilance seized illegal accessories and valuable timber worth more than Rs 46 lakh in Puri and Bhadrak districts on Wednesday.

Acting on information about running of illegal sawmills without valid license at Mathasahi and Rod Bazar in Nimapara area, the forest wing officials of the anti-corruption agency conducted raids at two places.

During the special operation, sawmill accessories worth Rs 21 lakh were detected and seized by the Vigilance sleuths.

In another operation, raided two sawmills illegally operating in Dandakul and Uteipur villages under Dhamnagar area of Bhadrak district.

Sawmill appliances along with 73.41 cft of freshly cut valuable timber and one unclaimed vehicle laden with timber were seized from the sites. The seized equipment and timber were valued at over Rs 25.13 lakhs.

The total value of seized goods comes to Rs 46.13 lakh. Further Investigation is in progress.