Wood worth Rs 70 million decaying at forest office

Dharan, Jan 12: The wood collected at Sub-Division Forest Office at Tinkune of Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City-8 in Sunsari district is left to decay despite its significant value.

    
The wood logged and stored at the offices- Panchakanya and Bishnupaduka- for nearly two decades is now getting decayed as contract for its use could not be made on time. 

   
The logs of 15,000 cubic feet are perishing in the offices as bidding for sale failed repeatedly, according to Mahesh Kumar Saha, chief of Sub-Division Forest Office, Panchkanya.    
The wood confiscated as legal action has been piled up for years, he added.    

According to him, the 'a grade' wood costs Rs 1,200 per cubic feet, while 'b grade' Rs 900 and 'c grade' Rs 650.    

To this, Chairman of Nepal Forest Products Entrepreneurs' Association, Dik Bahadur Bhujel, said the wood was left useless and crumbling because of the rules and policies full of hassles. Although varieties of wood are produced within country, government's policy and employees' unconcern and encumbrance were behind such worthlessness

  
In the fiscal year, 2080/81 alone, District Forest Office, Sunsari collected 64,500 cubic feet wood.    

Forest officer at District Forest Office, Khudris Minya, also admitted that lengthy court process and hindrances were behind timely sale of the wood.    

Meanwhile, the timber entrepreneurs have accused the government of creating artificial shortage of wood and timber by importing wood from abroad and decaying those already available at home. (RSS)