7-yr-old forest scandal awaits action

Chandigarh, Dec 28 (UNI) Despite Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh's determination to bring to book the corrupt in the previous Akali-BJP regime, a report unearthing scandal in the state's forest department worth lakhs and at a cost of forest cover way back in 2001 is gathering dust.

A plea, along with the copy of inquiry findings, for action has been lying in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) for over six months now, while the culprits named in the inquiry report were working scot-free.

The state government has lost a revenue of Rs 27.50 lakh in the form of compensatory afforestation charges as well as 2,895 trees and saplings between Bathinda and Malout area, when the Reliance cut these trees under forest cover to lay optical fibre cables (OFC) in December, 2001 allegedly in violation of Forest (Conservation) Act 1980.

The inquiry report into the consignment of ''illegally'' laying OFC has marked a strict action against Range Officer Daljit Singh and one administrative officer Shiv Kumar Singla of the state's Forest Department.

The then Bathinda District Forest Officer (DFO) Sanjay Bansal, a state cadre forest official, had signed the approval to Reliance to go ahead with the project of laying OFC.

The inquiry report, which found the laying of OFC by Reliance ''illegal and in violation of the Forest (Conservation) Act'', was submitted to the then Principal Chief Conservator of Forests A S Dogra.

But no action has been taken in this regard even by the present government, a senior Forest Department official told UNI.

The plea was submitted on March 5, 2006 by a suspended patwari of the Punjab Forest Department who had raised the issue in December 2005 leading to the inquiry. He has urged the Chief Minister to take police action against the culprits found guilty in the inquiry report.

Mr Harsh Kumar, who had conducted the probe as a Ferozepur Range Forest Conservator, was transferred to Chandigarh the same day when he submitted his findings to Mr Dogra on January 27, 2006.

UNI PS JN RL DB1144