Sir,

A couple of months ago, Lingambudhi Lake reserve forest was in the news when the guards shot dead a thief who was trying to cut down sandalwood trees. A gang from H. D. Kote was involved in it, according to Police.

Today, the regular walkers noticed that yesterday’s windy evening had brought down many trees. But what caught the attention of all was the two sandalwood trees which had also fallen down.

What is surprising is the trees were not so far away from the main gate. On close inspection it was obvious that  half the trunks had been sawed deliberately.

At this rate, I think the criminals have targeted the Lake and it will not be a surprise to see all these precious trees gone in the near future.

What are the authorities doing when they know clearly that the area has caught the eye of the sandalwood smugglers?

Photos show the cut trees which for some reason have been left behind by the mafia. Maybe they were interrupted by the guards while attempting to remove it. I hope the Forest Department will wake up at least now and deploy more security guards during the night time.

– Jothindra, Ramakrishnanagar, 18.4.2017