Guwahati, October 20 (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today asked forest department to stop illegal trade of sand, stone chips and wood. "Sonowal issued a stern directive to the Forest Department to immediately stop the illegal trade of sand, stone chips and wood," an official release said. The chief minister also directed the officials to maintain records on how these materials are sent to different parts of the state to keep an account of how these resources being used. "If there is any mismatch of records, strict action will be taken against the erring officials," the release said quoting Sonowal. The directions came at a meeting in Dibrugarh, where he asked forest department, civil and police administration to maintain transparency in view of allegations of illegal supply of sand, stone chips and wood. The chief minister also asked the forest department to supply the required amount of sand, stone chips to PWD to ensure uninterrupted flow of construction work. To stop illegal trade of forest resources, Sonowal asked the police administration to be alert and work in sync with the forest department. He also directed the officials to take local people into confidence and create a shield for protection of forest resources of the state.