HYDERABAD: The trench, which is three metre wide and equally deep, is part of several measures initiated since June to check smuggling of the valuable wood.
There is huge demand overseas, especially in China and Japan, where Red Sanders furniture and other items are status symbols. There is huge demand overseas, especially in China and Japan, where Red Sanders furniture and other items are status symbols.
In a bid to check red sanders smuggling, the Andhra Pradesh forest department is digging a 1,500-km trench around red sandalwood forests in Chittoor and Kadapa districts. The trench will also surround forests in Nellore, Prakasam and Kurnool districts where red sandalwood trees are found in smaller numbers.
The trench, which is three metre wide and equally deep, is part of several measures initiated since June to check smuggling of the valuable wood.
“About 1,100 km of the trench has already been dug. Its depth and width will prevent any vehicle or person from entering illegally. Earlier, smugglers drove trucks right up to the wood-cutting or logs-loading points deep into the forests. The trench will prevent that. Authorised vehicles and persons will enter through manned gated-bridges,’’ S B L Misra, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests said last week.
