JAMMU: Under the supervision of SSP Kathua, Shivdeep Singh Jamwal, police intercepted a truck at New Toll Plaza Lakhanpur on Tuesday, recovering 6,250 Kashmir willow clefts with an estimated value of around 50 lakhs during naka checking.
The police team, led by SHO PS Lakhanpur Insp Sunil Kumar Sharma, conducted the interception, and upon physical checking, the truck was found loaded with suspected willow clefts.
The driver, identified as Kuldeep Singh from Jalandhar, claimed the truck was loaded with 5000 full-size plain double Kashmir Popular clefts, 750 full-size plain single Kashmir Popular clefts, and 500 full-size plain STR Kashmir Popular clefts, as per the e-bill produced.
The Forest Department will handle further verification and legal proceedings regarding the seized vehicle and willow clefts. It is noteworthy that a partial ban on the movement of Kashmir willow to other states was imposed in 1999, allowing only 2 lakh clefts annually under a fixed quota system. Although a cess arrangement was implemented in 2002, it was discontinued in 2005, leading to a complete ban on the movement of Kashmir willow.
