a huge illegal consignment of timber worth several crores has been seized by forest department officials at a number of railway stations including Nangloi (Delhi), Rajpura (Punjab) and Tinsukhia (Assam) recently. Of a total of 93 wagons carrying timber from the northeast, 27 were detained at Rajpura. Thirteen of them were later released on the production of valid documents by the parties concerned. At Nangloi and Safdarjung (Delhi) there were two rakes full of timber which had been seized.

The officials said that a powerful timber mafia, patronised by a number of politicians, was operating in the northeast . However, the tough stand adopted by the ministry of environment and forests lately had forced the mafia to shift the wood to safer places. The timber has been lying unclaimed for more than a two months at the stations despite the railways issuing a notice to the consignees.