IMPHAL, January 9: The Ukhrul District Saw Mills Owner Association has submitted an application to the chief secretary of Manipur requesting him to protect the legal saw mills and at the same to control illegal saw mills in Ukhrul district under factory Act, 1948 (regulation of Saw Mills and Supreme Court Order W.P. (C) 202/1995).
According to application, it is state that the state government is not implementing Factory Act. 1948 (Regulation Saw Mills) and agendas of XI meeting to review Supreme Court Order passed in W.P. (C) 20211995 held under the chairmanship of the chief secretary, Manipur dated June 16, 2012 and hence, there is no regulation or protection of running legal licence Saw Mills and control of illegal Saw Mills running in respect of Ukhrul District, it said.
The release further said that there are more than 30 Saw Mills running within Ukhrul district and out of these, only three Saw Mills are possessing legal licence i.e. Zimik Saw Mills at Hamleikhong, Hundung, Phazang Saw Mill at Dungrei, Hundung and Mingthing Saw Mill at Shangshak.
The office of the Divisional Forest Officer, Eastern Forest Division, Manipur has issued order to inspection of Saw Mills running in Ukhrul District, memo No. 1711/ WBI2010-11IEFD dated 18/07/2012. However, instead of controlling, the numbers of illegal Saw Mills are at increasing.
Due to increasing number of illegal Saw Mills, the legal Saw Mills Owner running in the district could not compete with the former in production at market, as they are free from any taxes, duties etc. Further, they have installed the machine in forest from one place to other, adding that illegal felling or supply of timber is happening due to increasing illegal Saw Mills, it said.