Blood is the Colour of Sanders Grown in TN and AP

By J Shanmugha Sundaram

Published: 19th Apr 2015 06:00:00 AM

VELLORE:The small logo of a paint company on the left side of the vest helped Thanchammal identify the disfigured body as that of her husband Murugan (45). A painter, he also allegedly worked as a woodcutter for red sanders smuggling gangs, a high-paying but risky job that had him killed in an encounter with the joint team of the Special Task Force (STF) and Forest Department personnel of the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. His face was disfigured, and body had several cut and burn injuries, but Murugan wore a pristine white vest. Like him, there were 19 others who died that day.

While the gunning down of so many in the wee hours of April 7 led to a furore, there are scores of Murugans who die unnoticed, many from the backward districts like Vellore, Dharmapuri, Thiruvannamalai, Krishnagiri and Villupuram among others. Almost all are from tribal and scheduled caste communities, who are lured into the job by the promise of money that is substantial enough for them to take the risk. “We know the risk involved in this trade,” said Raman (30), who hails from a remote village in Jawadhu Hills. He is by now an expert in scouting Seshachalam forest in the Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border where the best red sanders trees are found. Once inside, he would identity, cut and transport the A-grade redwood out of the forest. At the end of each mission, he earns more than a high-paying executive hour-on-hour, and substantially more than the daily-wager neighbours.

(Above) People carry the bodies of suspected red sanders smugglers killed in an encounter in Chittoor district; families (right) and friends moaning the death of their relatives

The red sanders, which was declared as an endanger species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, is listed as scheduled species by the government. “The government has banned the sale and purchase of red sanders in domestic markets. Only government can sell to the registered buyers through open auction, tender and global tender,” said a senior forest official and noted that a tonne of ‘A’ grade logs bid for Rs 1.70 crore in the recently held global tender. The wood does not have fragrance like the regular sandalwood, but is used in traditional systems of medicines like Ayurveda and Chinese medicine. The apparent uses vary, from bathroom to bedroom, making this a commodity that is always in demand in the restricted legal markets and the much more lucrative black markets. According to reports, yoga guru Ramdev’s Patanjali Yogpeeth in Haridwar bought 706 tonnes of red sanders for Rs 207 crore.

The mafia, which has international links, has a closely knit network at various levels in police, forest and transport departments, and politicians in both the states. Though fearful, the anger over the gunning down of 20 of their men seems to have emboldened them into talking, but on strict condition of anonymity.

“A woodcutter gets as much as Rs 600 to Rs 700 for every kilo of red sanders log. The agent has to ensure that the logs are trimmed into sizes convenient for transport and ferried to a previously assigned spot, for which he gets Rs 300 per kilogram,” opened up a woodcutter after much persuasion.

These woodcutters become agents (there are some local level politicians, too, who are working as agents) to recruit tribal youth from the northern districts with the promise of the hefty pay packet, which is at least 10 times more than what they can hope to earn as unskilled labourers in construction sites and coffee plantations.

Having grown up in the hills, they are best suited to spot the best trees and choose the best routes to take the wood out of Seshachalam forest—spread across Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool, Prakasam and Nellore districts in Andhra. They will carry the logs for tens of kilometers through the difficult forest terrain on foot. For the timber mafia that thrives on plunder, there are no better manpower available. Explaining the modus operandi, those who have been working with these gangs told The Sunday Standard that the agents hire a group of 10 to 20 youth from the villages, all aged between 18 and 35 years. In all, about 50 will be gathered, who would then be split into smaller groups of eight to 12 members.

To avoid detection, they would be taken on long and circuitous routes to reach a predetermined meeting point on the outskirts of the forest area. Insiders say that there are times when they gather in Tirupati hills as devotees, waiting for the opportune moment to enter the forest. Some even take their wives and children to Tirupati, a pilgrim destination, to avoid suspicion.

Police sources here allege that some among the Andhra Pradesh State Transport Corporation staff are part of the network. “The drivers and conductors are paid anything between Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000 for discreetly transporting a group of 10 to 12 woodcutters from Vellore to specific drop points along the Seshachalam forest,” said a police source, citing a confession statement given by an agent held in Vellore recently. “When we enter the forest, the men are well prepared to survive for 10 to 15 days. Sometimes, we even go starving for two-three days before finding a way to get out,” said a former woodcutter who quit after a narrow escape from the heavily-armed STF.

Once the tree is cut, it would take a day or two to reach the closest point with road connectivity to transport it outside the territory. Till the spot across the steep hills, they have to carry the logs on foot. After loading the logs, they again split into small groups and reach various places with connectivity to Vellore or Chittoor. The agents pay them the wages, Rs 30,000-Rs 40,000, once they reach their natives. Meanwhile, logs they cut are transported, often on stolen cars, via Vellore, Bengaluru and Chennai.