Dang: The Forest Department has become serious about crushing the unlawful activities going on in Dang district. After the incident in which a barely known, Iskhandi Jagiri Mandal, laid siege to the district collectorate at Ahwa and held it hostage for four hours, two groups of SRP jawans have now been deployed at the North and South Forest Department ranges.

Lumber smugglers have now set their sights on the green and prosperous forests of Dang districts. With each passing day, lumber smugglers are coming up with newer tricks that will enable them access to the forests for chopping trees.

Recently, about 500 tribals under the banner of ‘Iskhandi Jagiri Mandal’ had blockaded the district collectorate at Ahwa claiming sole rights of its members on the forests of Dang challenging the writ of the government, but the police had booked some of these miscreants only under trivial sections and granted them bail at the police station itself.

The organization staked claim on the district’s forests and attempted to poison the minds of the tribal folks against the forest department. The North and South forest departments have, therefore, deployed teams of SRP jawans with the intention to curb such unlawful activities. DeshGujarat