Forest Department auction on Mar. 25; base price Rs. 1.25 crore; bid value to go up to Rs. 3 crore

Mysore/Mysuru: For the first time in more than 10 years, the Karnataka Forest Department will auction sandalwood logs stored at the Government Sandalwood Depot (Sandal Koti) at Aranya Bhavana in Mysuru.

According to a notification issued by the Office of the Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF), Mysuru Division, 48 lots of sandalwood, weighing about 138 Metric Tonnes of different classifications will be auctioned on Mar. 25 from 11 am to 2 pm through an online e-auction.

The Department has fixed the base price at Rs. 1.50 crore. However, Mysuru DCF (Territorial) K. Paramesh said, the final bid value could go up to Rs. 2 crore or even Rs. 3 crore, depending on the demand.

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, Paramesh said, the sandalwood to be auctioned comprises logs seized by the Forest Department and the Police over the past few years.

“Earlier, such auctions were conducted regularly once a year, but the practice had been discontinued for the past few years. We want to generate revenue for the Forest Department and hence we are auctioning the 138 tonnes of sandalwood,” DCF Paramesh said.

He added that the stock includes over 21 varieties of sandalwood, such as ‘Vilayath Budh,’ ‘China Budh,’ ‘Panjim,’ ‘Ghotla,’ ‘Ghatbadiya,’ ‘Bagardad’ and ‘Ainbagar.’

“Usually, bidders include Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited, which manufactures the famous Mysore Sandal Soap, besides private buyers,” he said.

The Forest Department has sandalwood depots (Sandal Koti) at Mysuru, Dharwad and Shivamogga, but this auction will be conducted only at the Mysuru Depot, DCF Paramesh added.

He also noted that members of the public are allowed to purchase up to three kilograms of sandalwood from the depots after producing their Aadhaar cards, while larger quantities are sold through auctions.

The auction will be conducted online through the MSTC e-commerce platform. A pre-bid meeting will be held on Mar. 17 at 4 pm at the DCF’s Office in Mysuru.

Interested bidders can inspect the sandalwood logs at the Government Sandalwood Depot till Mar. 17 between 10.30 am and 4.30 pm on working days, the notification stated.

Bidders must register in advance on the MSTC e-auction platform and pay an Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) of Rs. 1 lakh to participate. Blacklisted bidders, defaulters, minors and insolvent persons will not be permitted to take part in the auction, the notification added.