Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, May 16: Apart from disposing off 51 complaints and 16 Regular Departmental Actions (RDAs), the Forest Department has terminated the services of one employee, appointed illegally and affected recovery of substantial amount while the action on remaining complaints, enquiries and RDAs would be completed within two months.
This information was given to the State Vigilance Commission (SVC) while reviewing the progress of the corruption related cases pending with Forest Department at a meeting chaired by Chief Vigilance Commissioner here today. In total there were 329 complaints and 50 RDAs pending with the department for action.
Vigilance Commissioner, Gous-Ul-Nisa, Principal Secretary Forest, R K Gupta, Special Secretary Forest Department, Riyaz Ahmad, Chief Vigilance Officer, Forest Department, Secretary SVC, Jatinder Singh besides other senior officers from Forest and SVC were present in the meeting.
The Commission was informed that one senior IFS officer has been exclusively nominated and authorized to conduct departmental and other enquiries in to the complaints pending with the department to ensure early clearance of the backlog. It was also given out that an FIR has been registered against the then Managing Director, State Forest Corporation in Police Station VOK, Srinagar while outstanding amount was recovered from Range Mangers of State Forest Corporation (SFC).
It was also revealed that a new Committee has been constituted to conduct inquiry in to the allegations against the officials of SFC, Doda and the Committee has been asked to submit a report early. The department has framed a new Departmental Enquiry Committee for conducting fresh inquiries where department was not satisfied with the reports submitted by the previous Committees.
It was brought out that seized timber remains lying in police stations for years together without being handing over to Forest Department. The Principal Secretary Forest will issue a circular order to ensure that timber seized by the police and any other agency is handed over to jurisdictional divisional forest officer on “Superdnama” for ensuring safe custody of the Government property.
Emphasizing on strict adherence of e-tendering, the Commission asked the officers to ensure its strict compliance as per Government orders. “The process of issuing NOCs on line to the industrialists by the Pollution Control Board will also be put in place shortly”, the Principal Secretary informed. The Commission asked the officers of the department to coordinate with Revenue Department so that forest land is demarcated and secured from any illegal encroachment.
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