Forest department probes ownership and source of illegal charcoal vehicle

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

A Forest Department team intercepted a vehicle illegally transporting wooden charcoal on Deolai road on Tuesday. A case has been registered against those involved, and the seized vehicle has been handed over to the Deolai–Satara beat. On Wednesday, the Forest Department began an inquiry to determine who owns the vehicle and where the illegal charcoal was sourced from.

The illegal business of producing charcoal from wooden trees and selling it secretly to various city traders has been ongoing. On Tuesday afternoon, a patrolling team noticed a white mini tempo (MH 20 EL 7334) in suspicious circumstances. After chasing and stopping the vehicle, officials found 20 to 25 plastic bags filled with charcoal. When asked to produce documents, the persons in the vehicle avoided giving information and fled from the spot. The vehicle was subsequently seized.

The action was carried out by a team led by forest range officer Shashikant Tambe and forest guard Hafeez Syed, and the vehicle was handed over to the concerned forest range office. The department is investigating whether the charcoal was produced illegally in the local area or brought from outside and was being transported openly for sale in a four-wheeler.

Forest range officer Sagar Kute said the department is also probing whether the charcoal was made from legally owned farm trees or if larger rackets are involved. Further action, including fines or legal proceedings, will be decided after the vehicle driver is traced and relevant documents are examined.