Siliguri, Oct. 14 -- West Bengal Forest Minister Manoj Kumar Oraon on Wednesday warned that illegal sawmills would not be allowed to operate in any part of the state, announcing surprise inspections and raids across all districts to curb unauthorised timber trade.
In a video message posted on Facebook, the minister said forest officials would keep a close watch on sawmills and conduct surprise visits to check whether they were operating legally. Any sawmill found violating the rules would be closed down, he warned.
Referring to what he described as the growing "Pushpa Raj" of illegal timber operations in West Bengal, Oraon said it would be brought to an end.
The minister cited two separate raids carried out by forest officials in Malda a...