Complaint case against former minister, bureaucrats

Patna, Oct 27 (UNI) The Bihar government today filed a complaint against former Forest Minister Jagdanand Singh, former Chief Secretary G S Kang, and two senior IAS officers in connection with the transfer of wildlife sanctuary land to Durgawati reservoir project in Kaimur district.

The case was filed by state Forest department in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate of Patna Sushma Sinha under various sections of Indian Forest Act,1927 and Wildlife Act,1972.

The two IAS officers against whom the case was filed are V Jai Shankar and H C Sirohi.

According to the complaint, 160 acre of forest land had been provided to the Water Resoures department for Durgawati reservoir project in 1976.

Forest official claimed that 3.74 acre of Kaimur wildlife sanctuary land was used for the construction of the project, which was detrimental to the provision of proper environment for habitation of the wildlife.

Water Resources department also used more area than it was allotted, hence encroaching upon the land of the Forest department, they alleged.

The complaint alleged that 5.44 acre of the Kaimur wildlife sanctuary was notified in 1979 as sanctuary land, but it was denotified later for the Durgawati project to ''save the accused''.

The construction work was carried out despite the stay order of the Central government in this connection.

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