Timber racket in Tabbowa

Stanley Seneviratne - Kurunegala North Group Corr.

Police seized a large consignment of illegally felled trees worth millions of rupees during a raid last week in the deep Tabbowa Reserve in the North Western Province.

Police revealed that the trees placed on tractors were ready to be despatched. Several people were also arrested.

The consignment was to be sent to timber merchants in Puttalam.

The sprawling Tabbowa reserve has a wealth of medicinal plants and valuable trees.

The State-owned reserve is being systematically plundered by illicit timber merchants.

The 15,000 acre property on the Anuradhapura-Puttalam road in Kaluwaragaswewa was declared a reserve in July 2001 under the Fauna and Flora Act. According to official information, many valuable trees have already been cut down and what remains mostly is turpentine trees and teak planted by the Forest Conservation Department.

The Police squad was on a special operation to nab persons engaged in timber felling in the sanctuary. The squad set out in a fleet of tractors and travelled 25 kilometres. Due to bad weather the operation lasted for several days.

The operators have used sophisticated machinery to cut down hundreds of trees, Police revealed.

According to official sources, some trees are more than 300 years old. The Tabbowa sanctuary is the largest forest area in the North Western Province.

The Police team led by HQI Upul Chandana was supported by DIG NWP Shantha Rajapaksa, SSP B.I. Ranaweera and ASP I.B. Sugathapala.

The team was assisted by officials of the Police Anti Vice Squad.