Sandalwood theft up, call for inquiry gets louder

Palakkad: Heavy rain may have provided cover for the theft of sandalwood trees from the Thekkady forest station limits under the Kollengode forest range on Sunday.The forest department has registered a case after nine sandalwood trees were found to have felled in Vattayarmadakku forest, which comes under Nenmara forest division near Tamil Nadu border.Range officer V Unnikrishnan said the stolen timber may have been transported across the border into TN. Residents of a colony adjoining the forest are also under the scanner as part of the investigation.A detailed inspection carried out on Wednesday found that of the nine felled trees, six had been removed while two were abandoned because they lacked heartwood, according to forest officials.The incident has triggered concerns over repeated sandalwood thefts and illegal tree felling in the Nenmara forest division.Around 30 sandalwood trees have been reportedly stolen from Vamala and Thekkady in the past two months. In another incident, about 25 trees, including five sandalwood trees, were allegedly felled at Kottamala last week.The last sandalwood theft case registered at Thekkady forest station was in 2024, when 21 trees were stolen, Unnikrishnan said.Animals and Nature Ethics Community trust has urged the state govt to order an independent, time-bound inquiry into the incidents. It has sought a review of sandalwood theft cases registered over the past five years, scrutiny of forest patrol records and accountability for any established lapses.The organisation has also called for an investigation into an earlier tree-felling incident at Vattayarmadakku, during which some forest personnel were reportedly suspended around two years ago.The trust has demanded a written action-taken report detailing investigation progress, recoveries and arrests.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kochi | Silver Rate in Kochi | Bank Holidays in Kochi | Public Holidays in KochiStay updated with the latest Kochi news. Download the TOI App.