Illegal felling of ‘khair’ trees rampant in Rajasthan’s forests

JAIPUR: The state forest department has raised an alarm after suspected smugglers chopping down khair (Acasia catechu) trees in the Mukundra Hill Tiger Reserve (MHTR) on Sunday . Besides poaching of wildlife, forest officials are facing another problem of indiscriminate felling of khair as the tree is in high demand due to its medicinal value and for making ‘kattha’, main ingredient of ‘paan’.
Anand Mohan, the chief conservator of forests (wildlife) in Kota said, “ The miscreants have chopped trees using battery operated saws. There is a threat to the species. We are investigating the local people’s involvement, as felling cannot be done without their connivance.”
The forest officials of Kota, Baran and Jhalawar are having sleepless night as the trees are being cut at an alarming rate. Areas targeted by the timber mafia include Shahbad, Manohar Thana, Bakani where trees are available in plenty.
Jhalawar DFO Hemant Singh Shekhawat said, “ We have seized many vehicles in Jhalawar transporting khair illegally from Rajasthan to Madhya Pradesh. Two prime accused from Haryana and Gujarat who were alleged smugglers were also arrested in the district and handed over to MP officials for interrogation. We are awaiting the information about the location from where these trees were cut.”
The forest administration at Jhalawar has also issued direction not to release the vehicle carrying khair after compounding (paying off penalty).
As many cases are coming to light, forest officials also demanded to constitute Special Task Force (STF) in the state to check illegal felling and smuggling of khair trees similar to the force in Madhya Pradesh (MP). A forest official source said, “The government should issue advisory to make prior permission mandatory for felling of this species.”
Sources said, after the import of Gambier from Indonesia and Malaysia reduced, demand for khair wood increased as ‘kattha’ is prepared mainly from the water extract of the heartwood of this tree. The red part of the wood is used for making ‘kattha’, a main ingredient of the paan.
“The cost of this tree is four times than the usual ones. At present its wood is sold between Rs 5,000 and Rs 50,000 as per market demand,” said a source.
The tree also has medicinal value and is used for making medicines for treating ailments like skin, neck, tooth, diarrhoea and lung infections.