East Siberian Railways is to increase control on the shipment of timber to China by bringing in extra weighing vehicles, the railway company's press service said.
Up to 20 million cubic meters of felled timber is stocked every year in Irkutsk region, East Siberia. A large proportion of this is transported by train to China.
East Siberian Railways, a subsidiary of Russian Railways, says it has already discovered trains attempting to illegally transport extra weight.
"In February and March customs checks on 11,100 weighed wagons, found that 1,600 where carrying more than was stated on transportation documents," the service said, adding that a total of 7,700 tons of "extra weight" was uncovered.
The company plans to weigh every tenth timber wagon. Illegal transportation is damaging for both Russian Railways and the state.
"The railroad company does not profit from 'extra weight' being transported practically for free. The state does not get any taxes or customs fees," the company said
Illegal logging is one of the main environmental threats to the Siberian taiga, one of the world's most extensive natural habitats.
IRKUTSK, April 21 (RIA Novosti)
