Govt. to auction red sanders in 3 phases

Forests and Environment Minister Sidda Raghava Rao on Tuesday said that 1,368 tonnes of red sanders logs would be put to auction in three cycles from April 24 to May 10.

The first cycle of auction would be done on April 24 and 26, while the second cycle will be organised on May 1 and 3, followed by the third cycle on May 8 and 10, he said.Mr. Raghava Rao said that special teams had been constituted to keep a vigil on red sanders smuggling apart from installing CCTV cameras in the Seshachalam forests, the hotbed for the smuggling activities. Further, the ‘Operation Gaja’, aiming at driving away the wild elephants back into Odisha from the Andhra villages, was successful.

Meanwhile, the Forest Department was making arrangements to provide drinking water to wild animals by constructing saucer pits and summer storage tanks in forests, he said.

Aranya Bhavan

Mr. Rao said the foundation stone for permanent Aranya Bhavan, which would serve as the office of Forest Department, would be laid in May. Refurbished Principal Chief Conservator of Forests office at Guntur would be inaugurated on Wednesday, he added.