<p>The Andhra Pradesh Forest department recently got the Union government’s nod to dispose all the red sanders (Rakta Chandana) by auctioning it.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Now, the State’s Forest department too is aiming for the same. But the hiccough is, the department has no data on hand on the total quantity of the red sanders logs, seized and stored by it.<br /><br />A senior official of the Forest department told Deccan Herald: “Since Andhra Pradesh has got permission, we are also seeking the Centre’s permission for the same. We wrote three letters to the Andhra Pradesh Forest department to know how the red sanders is being auctioned. We received a communication from them only 15 days back.”<br /><br />“According to them, all the wood should be documented and auctioned after publicising all the stock and calling for tenders. <br /><br />The material will be auctioned and the buyer will have to sign an agreement with the department that he cannot export the raw material. Only finished products, with prior permission from the State and Central governments, can be exported,” he added.<br /><br />Like sandalwood, red sanders too has high importance in the export market. The demand for red sander increased internationally, after its export was banned to curtail illegal trade and overexploitation of the species.<br /><br />To curtail irregularities<br /><br />Ban on the export of red sanders, without permission from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES), was introduced in June 2010, in India.<br /><br />CITES had signed a treaty with 179 nations to curtail the trade of exotic species. In case of red sanders, the ban was to curtail irregularities in the certification of products and raw material, which were being exported.<br /><br />The official explained that the seized red sanders is kept in various sandalwood depots across the State under safe custody.<br /><br />“We are collecting and assessing all the data and making a database of how much we have. Some of the material is evidence for court cases. <br /><br />Thus court’s permission is also required before disposing it. <br /><br />As Karnataka has special laws for the protection of sandalwood, Andhra Pradesh too has special laws for the protection and disposal of red sanders, which have to be follo<br />wed. In Karnataka, however, red sanders is considered like any other wood, he added. <br /><br />The official further stated that no database was maintained so far since there are no laws to protect the species, since, red sanders does not have a high notional value like sandalwood.<br /><br />Also, no official had taken the initiative to maintain the records.<br /><br />According to the Karnataka State Handicrafts Development Corporation, a kg of raw sandalwood costs as high as Rs 5,500, plus 30 per cent taxes, while raw red sanders costs around Rs 800 per kg, with 20 per cent taxes.<br /></p>
<p>The Andhra Pradesh Forest department recently got the Union government’s nod to dispose all the red sanders (Rakta Chandana) by auctioning it.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Now, the State’s Forest department too is aiming for the same. But the hiccough is, the department has no data on hand on the total quantity of the red sanders logs, seized and stored by it.<br /><br />A senior official of the Forest department told Deccan Herald: “Since Andhra Pradesh has got permission, we are also seeking the Centre’s permission for the same. We wrote three letters to the Andhra Pradesh Forest department to know how the red sanders is being auctioned. We received a communication from them only 15 days back.”<br /><br />“According to them, all the wood should be documented and auctioned after publicising all the stock and calling for tenders. <br /><br />The material will be auctioned and the buyer will have to sign an agreement with the department that he cannot export the raw material. Only finished products, with prior permission from the State and Central governments, can be exported,” he added.<br /><br />Like sandalwood, red sanders too has high importance in the export market. The demand for red sander increased internationally, after its export was banned to curtail illegal trade and overexploitation of the species.<br /><br />To curtail irregularities<br /><br />Ban on the export of red sanders, without permission from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES), was introduced in June 2010, in India.<br /><br />CITES had signed a treaty with 179 nations to curtail the trade of exotic species. In case of red sanders, the ban was to curtail irregularities in the certification of products and raw material, which were being exported.<br /><br />The official explained that the seized red sanders is kept in various sandalwood depots across the State under safe custody.<br /><br />“We are collecting and assessing all the data and making a database of how much we have. Some of the material is evidence for court cases. <br /><br />Thus court’s permission is also required before disposing it. <br /><br />As Karnataka has special laws for the protection of sandalwood, Andhra Pradesh too has special laws for the protection and disposal of red sanders, which have to be follo<br />wed. In Karnataka, however, red sanders is considered like any other wood, he added. <br /><br />The official further stated that no database was maintained so far since there are no laws to protect the species, since, red sanders does not have a high notional value like sandalwood.<br /><br />Also, no official had taken the initiative to maintain the records.<br /><br />According to the Karnataka State Handicrafts Development Corporation, a kg of raw sandalwood costs as high as Rs 5,500, plus 30 per cent taxes, while raw red sanders costs around Rs 800 per kg, with 20 per cent taxes.<br /></p>