Business behind red sandalwood: the endangered plant species
Since 2010, demand from countries, especially China, increased the cost 'abnormally'
The killing of 20 people in the forests of Seshachalam, Andhra Pradesh, for allegedly cutting endangered plant species - the Red Sandalwood (Red Sanders), is a story which is filled with greed for money, struggle for survival and apathy from the rulers, all linked with the business of smuggling the red wood.
Many of the crackdowns on red sanders end up in arrest or shoot out on wood cutters from Tamil Nadu, working on wages to cut and transport wood from the deep forest of Andhra Pradesh to unknown destinations.
Because the wood brings so much of money for everyone involved the smugglers often take desperate action to evade arrest. Two Andhra Pradesh forest rangers were hacked to death in the Seshachalam forests last December. This prompted the Andhra police to form a special task force that, in the recent past killed at least twenty four Tamil villagers including the twenty in this month, and arrested thousands and seized over 20,000 tonnes of red sanders.
With Chandrababu Naidu taking charge as the new Chief Minister of Seemandhra (Andhra Pradesh), the Andhra Pradesh Police and Forest Departments are in a “massive” hunt for the smugglers of red sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus). Naidu has been one of the targets of these smugglers. In 2009, a bomb was planted targeting Naidu by Naxalites and it was alleged that it was funded by the red sanders smugglers as Naidu was in big time mood of cracking down these smugglers.
An official from the Forest Department, on condition of anonymity, said they (the agents) target villages, which are hit by drought and where there are large number of illiterates.
Reports stated that about two agents in each of the 274 small villages, which are close to the Andhra borders, ensure a steady stream of labour for the smugglers. According to sources, around 3,000 people were involved in smuggling red sanders.
More at: Business behind red sandalwood: the endangered plant species | Business Standard News
Since 2010, demand from countries, especially China, increased the cost 'abnormally'
The killing of 20 people in the forests of Seshachalam, Andhra Pradesh, for allegedly cutting endangered plant species - the Red Sandalwood (Red Sanders), is a story which is filled with greed for money, struggle for survival and apathy from the rulers, all linked with the business of smuggling the red wood.
Many of the crackdowns on red sanders end up in arrest or shoot out on wood cutters from Tamil Nadu, working on wages to cut and transport wood from the deep forest of Andhra Pradesh to unknown destinations.
Because the wood brings so much of money for everyone involved the smugglers often take desperate action to evade arrest. Two Andhra Pradesh forest rangers were hacked to death in the Seshachalam forests last December. This prompted the Andhra police to form a special task force that, in the recent past killed at least twenty four Tamil villagers including the twenty in this month, and arrested thousands and seized over 20,000 tonnes of red sanders.
With Chandrababu Naidu taking charge as the new Chief Minister of Seemandhra (Andhra Pradesh), the Andhra Pradesh Police and Forest Departments are in a “massive” hunt for the smugglers of red sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus). Naidu has been one of the targets of these smugglers. In 2009, a bomb was planted targeting Naidu by Naxalites and it was alleged that it was funded by the red sanders smugglers as Naidu was in big time mood of cracking down these smugglers.
An official from the Forest Department, on condition of anonymity, said they (the agents) target villages, which are hit by drought and where there are large number of illiterates.
Reports stated that about two agents in each of the 274 small villages, which are close to the Andhra borders, ensure a steady stream of labour for the smugglers. According to sources, around 3,000 people were involved in smuggling red sanders.
More at: Business behind red sandalwood: the endangered plant species | Business Standard News
