JAMMU, Jul 23: The apex body of the Association of Timber Industry has announced a boycott of the upcoming timber auction conducted by the Jammu and Kashmir State Forest Corporation (SFC), citing serious concerns over the quality of timber being supplied.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the association with the General Manager (Sales), SFC, where members discussed issues relating to the quality, quantity and sale of timber.
Association President Joginder Singh alleged that the Sales Section, including the Divisional Manager (Sales), has stopped segregating downgraded timber and has instead started mixing rotten and low-grade material with quality timber. He said this practice was unacceptable, as traders were paying the price of quality timber but receiving inferior material.
“The timber traders cannot be expected to pay for premium-grade timber and then lift rotten or downgraded wood. This is unfair and unacceptable,” he said.
Following detailed deliberations, the association unanimously resolved to boycott Thursday’s timber auction. Joginder Singh asserted that no trader would participate in future auctions unless the issue of quality was resolved satisfactorily.
He added that the timber trade was already struggling due to shrinking profit margins, and supplying mixed-quality timber would further aggravate the challenges faced by traders.
The association appealed to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and the Minister in charge of the Forest Department to intervene and ensure transparency and proper quality segregation in timber auctions to safeguard the interests of the timber industry.
Among those present at the meeting were Puneet Singh Jamwal, Kuldeep Singh Chib, Bharat Bhushan, Sham Sunder Arora, Narinder Tehran, Nakul Gupta, Sonu and other members of the association.