The forest department raided a saw mill in Kuya More in Jamuria today and seized machines. Huge quantities of wood and timber have also been seized.
Since yesterday, the forest department, under divisional forest officer (DFO) Durgapur, has been raiding the saw mill in Jamuria, in the outskirts of Asansol town.
Rajesh Bhandari, the owner of the saw mill has however claimed that he has not flouted any norms and has been abiding by all the forest department norms strictly.
Sumanta Das, the beat officer said that the saw mill owner has failed to show any papers and that is why they have termed it illegal. The Jamuria police have also assisted the forest department during the raid and search operations conducted today at the saw mill.
The West Bengal forest department has been planting saplings this monsoon season like every year and at this juncture the seizure of such huge quantities of wood and machinery have created a stir.
The Van Mahotsav was also observed recently throughout the state.
The forest department has also been distributing free saplings for plantation in the forest week, throughout the state, like earlier years.
So many trees have been felled and machines used to cut the logs into smaller pieces at the saw mill, said an official.