THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, January 8: A 38-year-old man from Rohtak, Haryana, was arrested along with two local residents in Palamu district for illegal transportation of khair timber without a transit permit, forest officials said on Wednesday.
Tractor-Trolley Seized During Night Patrol
An alert forest patrol team intercepted a tractor-trolley carrying around 2.5 tonnes of khair wood during a night operation under the Kundri range of Medininagar Forest Division. The Haryana resident was identified as Nasim Khan, while his two accomplices belong to Paton block and Sadar block of Palamu.
Officials confirmed that the trio failed to produce any valid transit permit, making the transportation illegal under forest laws. The forest department is now probing the network linking the Haryana accused with local operatives in Palamu.
DFO Clarifies Rules on Timber Transport
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Satyam Kumar, a 2015-batch IFS officer, said that transportation of timber other than exempted categories without a transit permit is unlawful.
“There is a misconception that a raiyat can transport felled or sawn timber freely. This is incorrect. A transit permit is mandatory once timber is moved away from the place of felling,” the DFO said.
The seized khair wood was sourced from non-forest land and belonged to a raiyat, who is legally allowed to fell trees on his land. However, officials stressed that transporting such timber outside the premises requires a transit permit, without exception.
Palamu a Hub for Illegal Produce Trade
Palamu district is known for three major illegal produces—poppy, marijuana, and khair timber—which reportedly have buyers in Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan.
While marijuana and poppy are smuggled in kilograms using cars, bikes, or trains, khair timber is transported in quintals or tonnes using trucks and containers.
A police officer said illegal trade of these items is impossible without local logistical support, adding that outside operatives maintain contacts in Palamu to manage ground-level operations.
Forest officials expressed surprise after checking the Aadhaar card of accused Nasim Khan, which listed his father’s name as Karmveer.
“We were surprised as Karmveer is generally considered a non-Muslim name, but the Aadhaar card clearly mentions it,” a forest official said.
Legal Action Under Indian Forest Act
Senior forest official Shankar Srivastav said that illegal transportation of timber without a transit permit is punishable under Sections 41 and 42 of the Indian Forest Act.
