Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 4: The State Vigilance Organization has booked then Managing Director of the State Forest Corporation, General Manager, Director Finance and proprietors of the supplier firms for procuring imported timber on exorbitant rates.
A case FIR No.12/2016, under section 5(1)d r/w 5(2) Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 120B RPC, has been registered against Ab Qayoom Khan, then Managing Director J&K, State Forest Corporation; J Frankoi, then General Manager (T&M) JK SFC and Subash Chandar Sharma then Director Finance , J&K SFC, proprietors of supplier firms, M/s Green Gold Timber Pvt Ltd, Padana Kutch of Gujrat, M/s Abdul Gani Kichloo and Sons, Harnag Anantnag and others.
A verification conducted into the allegations of procurement of foreign timber for rehabilitation of flood/cloud burst victims of Leh, has revealed that during Oct-Nov-2010, the above mentioned public servants in connivance with suppliers hatched a criminal conspiracy by procuring 92000 Cfts of imported timber like Pinus, Sylvestris and Picea-abies for distribution among flood /cloud burst victims in Leh at highly exorbitant rates. Rs 950/- Per Cft were paid for Sylvestris and Rs 840/- per Cft for Picea-abies as compared to approved rates of Rs 800 and 690 per Cft respectively. Thus they procured the aforesaid timber in violation of set norms/rules, thereby causing wrongful loss of Rs 95, 51,479 to the State exchequer and corresponding wrongful gain to the supplier firms.
Findings of the verification prima-facie established the commission of offence and thereafter a case was registered for further investigation.