DHANGADHI: Wood smuggling is on the rise in community forests and national forest of Kailali and Kanchanpur districts.

The smugglers -- taking opportunity of the nationwide lockdown imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19 infection -- have become active when forestry officers and community forest staffers are working restrictively under the lockdown.

With the increase in smuggling activities, forest authorities have ramped up their efforts to prevent wood smuggling, informed Shivaraj Awasthi, information officer at the Division Forest Office, Kanchanpur. “We have already confiscated 150 cubic feet of wood from the national forest and more than 20 cubic feet of wood from various community forests in the district.” The Office has deployed a patrolling team to curb the smuggling, claimed Awasthi.

Similarly, Pahalmanpur-based Division Forest Office in Kailali has seized more than 600 cubic feet of wood from various forests in the district. The wood smuggling that was difficult to prevent and control during normal times have become more rampant following the lockdown.

“We had expected the wood smuggling to stop during the lockdown, however, it has become more active,” says Krishna Bhatta, chief of Division Forest Office, Pahalmanpur.

According to Ram Chandra Kandel, chief of Dhangadhi-based Division Forest Office, they have confiscated more than 1,500 cubic feet of wood and detained eight persons on the charge of wood smuggling during the lockdown.