Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Mar 14: The Forest Department today reverted14 Range Officers of the department, who were promoted fraudulently and kept in abeyance the subsequent promotion of 34 in-charge Range Officers after the enquiry committee constituted by the State Government established the fraud.
The Forest Department in its order (115-FST of 2012 dated March 13, 2012) has admitted that mistakes have taken place in the promotion process. It said that 14 foresters have been placed as in-charge range officers in violation of the promotion rules.
“The report of the committee was examined in the administrative department and it has been decided to keep in abeyance, the placement orders of all the 34 foresters as in-charge range officers ordered by then Principal Chief Conservator of Forests from time to time,” the order said.
The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests will assign the charge of the ranges, which these 34 officials were holding, to the range officers of adjoining areas, till further orders.
According to the order, the officials who have been reverted are Hakim Mohammad Ashraf, Firdous Ahmad, Ghulam Hassan Bhat, Nazir Ahmad Mir, Mushtaq Ahmad Khaki, Mohammad Shaban Bhat, Mohammad Mansoor Shah, Abdul Rashid Bhat, Satish Kumar Bhat, Mohammad Rafiq Teli, Mohammad Amin Bhat, Manzoor Naseem, Farooq Ahmad Khan, Abdul Rashid Shah, Mohammad Amin Magray, Noor Mohammad Khan, Mohammad Munawar Bhat, Naseeb Singh, Mohammad Iqbal Lone, Krishan Singh, Harmeet Singh, Bashir Ahmad Mir, Syed Irshad Hussain, Muzaffar Ahmad, Pritam Lal, Khursheed Gul, Rajesh Bakshi, Kulwant Singh, Vilayat Mohammad Ali, Munish Gupta, Goga Ram Sharma, Mohammad Altaf Dar, Munshi Ghulam Nabi and Zaffar Iqbal Khan.
It would be in place to mention here that the Government had set up the Enquiry Committee consisting Chief Conservator of Forests-Kashmir, Chief Conservator of Forests-Jammu and Mohammad Mumtaz Ali, Deputy Secretary to Government, Forest Department to probe the promotion scandal in the Forest Department.
It may be mentioned here that some non-Kashmir Forest Training Course (KFC) Foresters were promoted as the Range Officers in violation of the service rules while KFC trained Foresters were denied promotion.
As per the service rules, KFC is the necessary criteria for the promotion to the level of Range Officers in the Forest Department.
Principal Chief Conservator Forests (PCCF), R. D Tiwari had issued three orders on December 7, 2011 according to which three non-KFC foresters were given the charge of in-charge Range Officers in different places of the Kashmir valley. In addition to this he had issued three similar orders in August while as one order was issued in July.
According to the order number 397 of 2011 issued on 7-12-2011, Abdul Rashid Shah, Forester, Urban Forestry Division, Srinagar was transferred and posted as In-charge Range Officer Central Control Room Urban Forestry Division against an available vacancy.
The placement of Shah was purely on temporary basis and the same will not confer any preferential claim upon him as and when the posts of Range officers are filled up under rules, the order said.
Two more orders 398 of 2011 and 399 of 2011 were issued on the same date whereby Farooq Ahmad Khan, Forester, Planning and Publicity Division, Srinagar was transferred and posted as In-charge Range Officer, Control Room Sindh Forest Division Ganderbal while as Manzoor Ahmad Naseem, Forester, Urban Forestry Division, Srinagar transferred and posted as In-charge Range Officer Estate (B) against an available vacancy.
On July 30, the PCCF had issued order number 229 of 2011 according to which Noor Mohammad Bhat, Forester, Resources Survey Division Srinagar was transferred and posted as In-charge Range Officer Wular Project.
Tiwari also issued three more orders 262 of 2011, 264 of 2011 and 269 of 2011 dated August 23, 27 and 30, 2011 according to which three officers were promoted as in-charge range officers.
In the order, PCCF had mentioned that the services of Muzaffar Ahmad Bhat, Forester, Sindh Forest Division, shall be utilized in KFT School, Chitternar-Bandipora as in-charge range officer.
Similarly, Khursheed Gul, Forester, Lidder Forest Division was transferred and posted as in-charge range officer control room, Shopian against an available vacancy.
Mohammad Amin Magray, Forester awaiting orders of posting in Anantnag Forest Division was transferred to Wular Project as incharge range officer.
It would be in place to mention here that Noor Mohammad Bhat, Muzaffar Ahmad Bhat, Khursheed Gul and Mohammad Amin Magray were promoted despite falling much below in the seniority list. Many of the seniors were left out in the promotion list despite possessing all requisite qualifications.
The enquiry committee submitted its report to environment and forest minister, Mian Altaf Ahmad on February 9.
It is pertinent to mention here that Excelsior had exposed the promotion scandal in December last year after which enquiry was ordered .
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