Anantnag Timber Scam: CCF Kashmir seeks report from Conservator South

Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) Kashmir Farooq Gillani on Tuseday sought a detailed report from Conservator South Kashmir after taking cognizance of ET report detailing how case of illegal felling of green trees was hushed and innocent employees were punished.

“Early Times report was self explanatory. I have taken cognizance and have sought a report from Conservator South Kashmir Tawheed Ahmad Deva,” CCF Kashmir Farooq Gillani told this reporter over phone.

He also assured to probe the issue of penalizing lower grade employees who acted as whistleblowers, did their duties honestly and reported the illegal felling trees to several officials of the department and State Forest Corporation.

As reported earlier, Forest Department and State Forest Corporation in nexus with the timber mafia buried the issue of illegal felling of trees to avert screening of Anantnag Forest Division and Lidder Forest division.

Instead of taking against the officers, who blocked reports of Block-In-charge, Forest Department punished and penalized three lower grade employees. Not only 60 thousands rupees were recovered from trio employees but one (Block- In charge) among them was transferred for to Pulwama district by Chief General Manger SFC Muneer Ahmad Shaaiyr who is himself overstaying as CGM SFC South Kashmir. The officer has, according to reports, completed four years as CGM SFC South Kashmir.

Top officials of Forest Department and State Forest Corporation not only penalized and transferred the vigilant employee but also humiliated him and labeled him as ‘informer’. However, no action was taken against two officers-Range Manger SFC and Range Officer territorial- who allegedly had nexus with the accused contractor.

Top sources in forest department corroborating with the victimized employee’s version of story told Early Times that both the officers had prior information of green standing trees being cut down by the contractor on the intervening night of 14 and 15 August 2018. “Contractor had bribed them therefore they thrashed the reports of Range Manger into dustbin,” they said.

“Fallowing which RM directly approached DFO Anantnag who acted swiftly and visited the spot, however later penzlaised employees and contractor,” they added

Meanwhile the aggrieved employees again demanded impartial probe. “We approached Commissioner Secretary Forests, he assured an impartial probe but now we don’t know what happened to that probe,” they said.