Bastar scam 8212; Call for expediting probe

NAGPUR, NOV 18: The National Committee for Protection of Natural Resources NCPNR, which had exposed the Bastar forest and land scandal ...

NAGPUR, NOV 18: The National Committee for Protection of Natural Resources NCPNR, which had exposed the Bastar forest and land scandal in Madhya Pradesh, has appealed to the Central Bureau of Investigation CBI to expedite investigation into the Malik Makbuja case.

A nexus between government officials, politicians and timber mafia had resulted in illegal felling of trees in Bastar on a large scale. Talking to The Indian Express, S R Hiremath, president of NCPNR, said that he recently met J K Dutta, Joint Director North, CBI, to urge him to hasten the process of investigation into one of the worst environmental disasters in the country.

The Supreme Court, in its order dated January 7, 1998, had urged the CBI to complete the investigation expeditiously building on the earlier reports of the Lokayukta of Madhya Pradesh, which, too, had investigated the matter. Hiremath appealed to the CBI to begin the prosecution of the guilty at the earliest to save the precious forest wealth of MadhyaPradesh.

Interestingly, top politicians, officials and timber merchants have been named by the CBI in the first information report FIR and the Lokayukta reports. Among the politicians named are Virendra Netam, Shiv Netam, Shanti Netam, Arvind Netam, Mahendra Karma, former MP from South Bastar, and Raja Ram Todem, former MLA and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly.

Besides, top government officials, too, have been named in the FIR. They include: Narayan Singh, the then commissioner of Bastar, Chittarajan Khetan, the then additional collector, Kanker, M S Paikra, the then additional collector, Dantewada, M S Sarathe, the then additional collector, Pankaj Rag, the then additional collector, Jagdalpur, Amir Ali, the then additional collector, Jagdalpur, and Arurag Jain, the then additional collector, Kanker.Top timber merchants allegedly involved in the scandal are: Subhash Chandra Surana, Srinivas Awasthi, Brijmohan Gupta and the Lunia family.

Meanwhile, in a significant development,the latest first information report filed by the CBI states that the timber mafia consisting of top timber merchants, government officials and some well-known politicians in the Bastar region are, prima facie8217; party to a criminal conspiracy during 1992-1996 to cause wrongful gain to the land owners with matter of felling trees.

The first infornation report states that, 8220;It is alleged that accused public servants abused their respective official positions and bestowed undue favours to the said land owners and others and illegally accorded permission in their favour for felling a large number of trees on the basis of forged and fabricated documents and in utter disregard of the provisions of the MP Protection of Aboriginal Tribes, Rule 1987 and MP Land Revenue Code 1959 .8221;