CCTVs installed by Andhra Pradesh officials

Hyderabad: In a bid to curb smuggling of red sanders from Andhra Pradesh, the AP forest department has installed CCTV cameras.

The cameras are located at entry and exit points of forests, which are frequently visited by red sanders woodcutters working for the smugglers.

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar during his recent visit to Hyderabad had said that satellites, drones and CCTV would be used for protecting the forests.

Speaking to this newspaper, principal chief conservator of forests for AP, A.V. Joseph said, “We will initiate new protection measures as and when the requirement arises. We will not compromise.”