Timber mafia is having an easy time near Shamirpet in Medak district as forest officials are in deep slumber. Trees are being felled with impunity at Mulugu, Jagdevpur and other neighbouring mandals with at least 200 lorries of timber of various types being transported to Hyderabad.

Even wildlife is poached and forest officials are refusing to take the help of wildlife activists citing ‘jurisdictional’ problems. On Sunday, activists of Society of Wilderness and Wildlife protection caught hunters at Peerlapally in Gajwel area. Despite repeated calls to the wildlife crime control cell, no official came to the spot. When the activists went to hand over the material at Ontimamidi checkpost the staff refused to take it.

Mr M. Vishnuvardhan Reddy, an activist working against timber mafia and wildlife poaching said, “Local officials initially cooperated with us when we seized timber and stopped cutting of trees in reserve forest area and government lands. They penalised them under Wildlife Protection Act and WALTA.”

Medak DFO Mr Hari Kumar said, “We will probe the role of hunters. The staff at checkpost would have taken them and handed over to the concerned authorities, but there are many species exempted. We can’t act when people cut trees in private lands.” Mr Kaleemulla, who was the only staff present at Ontimamidi checkpost on Sunday said, “I can’t take hunting material seized by activists. My forest section officer told me not to react to these activists.”