New Delhi: Delhi seems to be an easy market for illegal timber suppliers as the state's forest department here does not have any powers to seize such consignments.
Unlike other states, the Delhi government does not have any transit rules in place which are mandatory under the Indian Forests Act.
When GRP seized a big consignment of unclaimed timber coming through Brahmaputra Mail at the Delhi Railway Station yesterday, forest officials were called to help but they could not be part of the seizure because of lack of powers to confiscate it unlike their peers in other states.
"It is true that we do not have any transit rules which are mandatory in the Indian Forests Act but we have our own constraints. We lack proper staff. Besides barricading National and State highways is also a problem in Delhi," Conservator of Forests of Delhi D M Shukla said.
The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has also raised the issue with the state government at various levels to comply with the provisions of the Indian Forests Act, 1927.
"This is indeed a matter of concern but we cannot act directly here as powers to frame such rules are in the hands of state government only," a senior official of Union Ministry of Environment and Forests told PTI.
