Forest conservator faces action for hand in tree-felling’

The former Maharashtra minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader, Shobhatai Phadnavis, who brought the scam to light, later filed a public interest litigation (PIL) before the Nagpur bench of the Mumbai High Court recently.

The Forest Department has in the meanwhile, suspended 17 forest personnel, including the deputy conservator of forests (Dy CF), B S Thengdi of Sironcha division, the one to be affected most in the circle.

It is alleged that the famous Chandrapur-Gadchiroli teak wood, worth crores was smuggled out into the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh with the connivance of forest personnel. The issue comes into sharp focus looking to the fact that in the recent past, the Andhra Pradesh police have seized teakwood worth over Rs 25 lakh from the same area.

The scam took a new turn when Union Minister for Forests and Environment T R Balu asked the Additional Inspector General of Forest, J P Mishra, to visit Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts for inspection and to submit a comprehensive report.

Mantralaya sources say a series of complaints were received by the Chief Secretary Arun Bongirwar against the South-Chandrapur CF, Ramanuj Choudhary. These include: Posting of range officers with dubious’ credentials; unlawful contract with tendu purchasers; selling the firewood of the forest division and nexus with saw mill owners.

Rule book has it that the Dy CF alone is empowered to enter into an agreement with tendu purchasers. However, Choudhary entered into such an agreement in his present capacity, thereby dissuading the purchasers and Dy CF from signing the agreement.

It is alleged that Choudhary proposed plum postings on transfers to some RFOs involved in irregularities’. The malafide intention in these postings was evident in that one RFO, belonging to a different division in the circle was given an additional sensitive posting. RFO Chambhare of the protection squad headquartered at Tadgaon in Bhamragarh division, was given the additional charge of the post of RFO Dechli of Sironcha division when there were other officers who could have locally handled the charge, a complaint letter addressed to the Chief Secretary, alleged.

Even as the tree-felling controversy was on, the CF of South-Chandrapur circle allegedly proposed the name of one Khandate, who was transferred to wildlife wing from a plum posting barely six months back, for the sensitive Sironcha range. The proposal to post Khandate in the sensitive area raised eyebrows among the forest circles as maximum tree-felling was detected in the Sirocnha Forest Range bordering Andhra.

It is alleged that one RFO in Ballarshah range in the South-Chandrapur forest circle is working as a middleman’ in such postings. Complaints to this effect were also received by the Mantralaya.

With complaints pouring in with disconcerting regularity, Bongirwar took the episode seriously and insisted upon the principal secretary (forests) to initiate stern against the senior forest officer.

The recent reshuffle in the higher echelons of the forest department was done in the wake of controversial tree felling. The then Managing Director of Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM), S K Bali, was shunted out from the post and shifted to parent body as CCF (production). Massive tree felling was also detected in the FDCM areas of Chandrapur-Gadchiroli districts.

Meanwhile, the principal secretary (Forest), Government of Maharashtra, Satish Tripathi and the divisional commissioner (Nagpur division), J S Saharia are visiting Chandrapur-Gadchiroli districts on April 21 to assess the losses and submit a comprehensive report.