Interview| Big ‘Pushpas’ behind bars, says RSASTF chief

The Seshachalam hill ranges in Andhra Pradesh are the sole natural habitat of the prized and endangered red sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus). Over the years, organised interstate smuggling networks have targeted this national wealth for illegal export to global markets. Leading the front-line battle against these syndicates, L Subbarayudu, Chief of the Andhra Pradesh Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF), explains how sustained enforcement over the past two years has disrupted supply chains, secured record convictions, and shifted the focus towards dismantling the financial networks behind the trade. Excerpts: How has the enforcement landscape changed since the establishment of the Red…