Rangamati: Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in a drive seized a huge amount of illegal timber from Longadu upazila of Rangamati district today. On a tip-off, a BGB team from Rajnagar Battalion (BGB-37) conducted a drive in Jarulchhara area of the upazila and seized the illegal timber, said Lt. Col. Nahid Hasan, commander of the Battalion at noon.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, during the drive, the BGB seized 277 CFT of gamari timbers found in an abandoned condition. Rajnagar Battalion commander Lt. Col. Nahid Hasan highlighted that illegal logging and smuggling of timber from the forest are leading to destruction of the forest area and damage to the environment. Unscrupulous timber traders have been smuggling timber from different areas of the hilly region, he noted.
Lt. Col. Hasan further mentioned that BGB's operational and intelligence activities aimed at border security and prevention of smuggling are ongoing. The operation against smuggling will continue and will be further strengthened in the future. The Rajnagar Battalion has conducted 31 such drives this year, seizing a total of 2,277.73 CFT of illegal timber from different areas. The value of the seized timber is approximately Taka 39,69,465.