Kathmandu July 20: Around 210 thousand 120 kilogrammes of red sandalwood, seized while being smuggled to China, has started decaying in lack of timely and proper management.
Such amount of red sandalwood was seized from different districts in 10 years. This quantity of the valuable wood is dumped in lack of necessary laws in the beginning and the concerned country India refusing to take the red sandalwood back even after formulation of the laws. As per the international law, selling and distribution of red sandalwood is prohibited.
The seized red sandalwood has been kept in 20 districts by the Department of Forests Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Chitwan, Saptari, Sarlahi, Jhapa, Nawalparasi, Kapilvastu and Rupandehi, among others under strict security.
Over 100 thousand kilogrammes of red sandalwood has been kept at the premises of Department of Forests. The highest amount of red sandalwood is at Department of Forests of three districts of Kathmandu valley.
Not only in godown, the red sandalwood has also been kept loading on more than half dozen of vehicles.
According to the Department, a team comprising 30 armed police under the leadership of police inspector has been deployed round the clock for the security of the red sandalwood. It has not only increased security expenditure, the sandalwood also started losing its quality.
According to the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, such amount of red sandalwood was seized while it was being smuggled to China from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu state of India via different check points of Nepal.
Nepal became a party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) on July 18, 1975. The red sandalwood is enlisted in the index 2 of the agreement. The red sandalwood was seized as it was brought to Nepal in contravention of this agreement.
Director General of the Department of Forests, Krishna Prasad Acharya, expressed the belief that the seized red sandalwood would be managed soon as the country has formulated a new act related to this.
The Act to regulate and control the international trade of endangered species of flora and fauna-2073 issued on April 27, 2017 has opened the way for the appropriate management of illegal red sandalwood.
Clause 30 of the Act has the provision regarding management of the seized flora or its sample. The Act also has the provision that the sample of endangered species of flora, which is not possible to conserve, can be put on auction or can be provided for educational and research purpose after determining some conditions as well as it can be provided for religious purpose.
As per the Sub-Clause (2), the endangered flora, seized after being imported without meeting procedure as per the Act, can be returned back to the same country from where it was brought.
Acharya said that there is a legal provision that the concerned countries should take such flora or its sample back within 90 days from Nepal after the decision.
Similarly, Information Officer of the Department, Ishwori Prasad Poudel, informed that 247,048 kg of red sandalwood was seized from different places of the country from 2062 BS to 2071 BS.
Out of the seized red sandalwood, 13 thousand 730 kg red sandalwood is still under consideration at court.
He said that red sandalwood was seized from Sindhupalchowk for the first time on February 14, 2006. Similarly, there is a record in the Department of confiscation of 64 kg red sandalwood from Rasuwa on September 6, 2014 for the last time.
Poudel said, “Of the seized red sandalwood, India has already taken back 36,928 kg of red sandalwood to the country as per the CITES law after the cabinet decision on January 15, 2009.
India has not taken back 27,166 kg of red sandalwood even after the cabinet’s decision on February 24, 2015.
The price of per kg red sandalwood has been determined as Rs 800 in the Forest Regulation, but the price reaches 10 folds more in China as compared to Nepal. There is high demand of red sandalwood in China.
Spokesperson of the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, Dhananjay Poudel, said that a letter has been sent to India through Foreign Ministry regarding sending the red sandalwood back to India.
He said, “Act related to the management has been formulated. The red sandalwood will be managed as per other options of law if India does not take it back.”
Experts of this sector suggested that it will be appropriate to give red sandalwood to Pashupati Area Development Trust for religious purpose at the consensus of CITES Secretariat if the concerned country (India) refuses to take it back. RSS
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