Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan on Wednsday (November 27, 2024) had requested Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav to implement a single-window system as per the Botanical Survey of India’s recommendation for selling and exporting red sandalwood.
He asserted that the single window would fetch maximum benefit out of international auctions of the precious wood.
During an interaction with Mr. Yadav in New Delhi on Wednesday Mr. Kalyan said the Forest Department of Andhra Pradesh (AP) would act as a custodian of the single window system and appealed to Mr. Yadav to consider the proposal.
He suggested that the Central Government should bring red sandalwood seized outside Andhra Pradesh also into the single-window auction process by making necessary changes in the regulations.
This facilitates handling of the seized red sandalwood exclusively by Andhra Pradesh as the custodian thereby preventing individual States from selling the wood on their own. Red sanders’ (Pterocarpus Santalinus) is endemic to the forests of Seshachalam, Veligonda, Lankamala and Palakonda Hill ranges of AP distributed in about 5.83 lakh hectares in Kadapa, Nellore, Chittoor and Prakasam districts.
Published – November 27, 2024 01:37 pm IST