Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan inspecting red sandalwood forest department at Mangalam in Tirupati district on Saturday.
The coalition government will give equal importance to conservation of natural resources as it focuses on public welfare, says Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan.
Warning red sandalwood smugglers to stop illegal trade in the endemic tree species, Mr Pawan Kalyan on Saturday announced the launch of a special operation “to eliminate all those involved in smuggling within one year”.
He chaired a review meeting with Superintendents of Police of five districts, Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF) teams and forest officials in the Collectorate to discuss the opportunities and hurdles ahead. During the meeting, he said that four kingpins involved in red sandalwood smuggling have been identified and the government will soon seize their assets.
Mr. Pawan Kalyan, who is also the Minister for Environment, Forests, Science and Technology, said, “Red sandalwood is a rare forest treasure found nowhere else in the world except the Seshachalam forests. This unique treasure is associated with the sentiments and beliefs of Hindus. It is everyone’s responsibility to protect red sandalwood from illegal trade.”
“The central government intends to eliminate extremism to protect the interests of the country under the name ‘Operation Kagar’. Similarly, we will launch a special operation to prevent smuggling of red sandalwood with equal seriousness. Those who smuggle red sandalwood should now change their ways. It will be better if they stop the illegal trade voluntarily,” he warned.
Mr. Pawan Kalyan had earlier visited the sandalwood forest in Mangalam area and visited the Mamandur Forest area of the district along with District Collector S. Venkateswar and Superintendent of Police L. Subbarayudu. While inspecting the godown, he directed the officials to bring in systems like barcodes and live tracking so that no red sandalwood log gets leaked.
Published – 8 Nov 2025 20:46 IST
