2 lakh 67 thousand 961 kg of blood sandalwood is being harvested in various branches of the forest department
2 lakh 11 thousand 54 kg of sandalwood seized from smugglers at different times and found unattended are lying in limbo. According to the forest official, the estimated market value of raktchandan is about 3 billion 2342 thousand 140 rupees per kg.
According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), if any red sandalwood, which is prohibited for transportation and trade, is recovered, it must be returned to the respective country. Out of the seized sandalwood, the department has taken the initiative to send about 168,572 kg of sandalwood to India, which has been finalized through the court process. Previously, 36 thousand 928 kg of sandalwood wood has been delivered to India at different times.
The department claims that a total of 19 thousand 324 kg of wood was lost among those recovered on different dates. According to the data provided by the department, about 655 kg of wood has also been used for last rites. Among them, 619 kg wood has been used for funerals in Kathmandu, 11 kg in Nawalparasi and 24 kg in Sindhupalchowk. According to the
department, the amount of raktchandan that is currently being processed is 16 thousand 487 kg, 189 thousand 376 kg that has been decided by the court, 205 thousand 863 kg that is in the court process, 62 thousand 97 kg that is in the state of abandonment, and the amount of raktchand in the court process and in the state of abandonment is 267 thousand 961 kg.
Chitwan, Sarlahi, Dolakha, Jhapa, Nawalparasi, Taplejung, Kapilvastu, Dhading, Tehrathum, Rasuwa, Ruppandehi, Bajhang, Kavrepalanchok, Bhaktapur, Sindhupalchok, Lalitpur, Kathmandu, Gorkha, Sankhuwasabha, Saptari and other districts are seen to have more transactions.
According to the data of Police Headquarters Naxal, 1106 kg of blood sandalwood has been recovered in Nepal in the last 5 years, the value of which is 17 million 44 thousand 248 rupees.
According to the police, in 2077, 22.66 kg of sandalwood worth Rs 3 lakh 38 thousand 951 was recovered from Lalitpur. In 2078 and 2079, the police did not find the blood sandalwood smuggling. In 2080 only 653.15 kg of sandalwood worth 1 crore 6 lakh 3 thousand rupees was recovered.
Last year in 2081, 431 kg of sandalwood worth Rs 66 lakh 39 thousand 986 was recovered. In 2077, the police arrested 4 people on charges of involvement in sandalwood smuggling, and in 2080, 8 people were arrested. 2 people were arrested in 2081. On January 1 last year, the Valley Crime Investigation Office seized 4 quintals of 31 kg of sandalwood from PepsiCola. The blood sandalwood with an estimated market value of Rs 66 lakh 39 thousand, 986 was recovered at once.
According to police spokesperson Ramesh Thapa, because the price of sandalwood is expensive, it is smuggled in the temptation of making quick money. "Mainly due to Nepal's open borders, it seems that blood sandalwood is easily smuggled from India to China through various highways," he says.
According to Sabnam Pathak, officer of the Forest and Conservation Department, there is a rule that smuggled sandalwood should be sent back to the country from which it came. The issue of large quantities of timber smuggled from India to Nepal has been brought to the fore even though it has been approved to be sent back to India.
"After the approval of the cabinet meeting, the blood sandalwood can be taken within 90 days from the date of decision, but India has not taken it after 3 times," she says. In particular, sandalwood is considered one of the most expensive woods in the world. Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana have significant quantities of raktakhandan.
– (trainees)
