Forest officials "punished" for probing land scam

Range Forest Officer R B Pakhare, posted at Panvel, has already been relieved of his post while the transfer of high-profile Deputy Conservator of Forests, Rajesh Das, is imminent.

All the six officials will be transferred to non-executive posts for their role in investigating the Rs 2,500-crore scandal in Raigad district. Das is likely to be replaced by a controversial forest official from Nagpur. The transfers are controversial also because they violate the revised guidelines of the rulingalliance, which said government officials would not be transferred before completing their three-year tenure in any posting.

Pakhare was posted at Panvel only 11 months ago while Das has served for just 16 months in his current post. Both were instrumental in detecting and unravelling the modus operandi adopted by a section of Mumbai’s leading builders to acquire forest land in violation of the Indian Forest Act and Forest Conservation Act.

When news of the scandal broke (Express Newsline, September 9, 1997), Pakhare and Das seized all 17 farmhouses at Panvel in Alibag forest division of Raigad district. These included plush bungalows ownered by cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar, former actors Helen Khan Salim Khan. All the farmhouses are currently in the possession of the Forest Department.

Both officials were instrumental in efforts to retrieve the land from the developer – the Vrindavan Horticulture Cooperative Society – and restore it to the Forest Department. However, the move has been challengedin the Maharashtra Revenue Tribunal (MRT).

Of the 31,000 hectares (150 acres) originally acquired by the society, Das had seized 12,400 hectares (which has been restored), while 17,700 hectares are yet to be returned to the Forest Department. The society has been allowed to retain only four acres, according to a senior forest officer.

Revenue Minister Narayan Rane had set up a two-member committee comprising Konkan Divisional Commissioner Ashok Sinha and Chief Conservator of Forest Sunil Mitra to probe the scandal. The committee has yet to submit its report. Meanwhile, the then Forest and Environment Minister Ganesh Naik had also ordered that the disputed 17,700 hectares be restored the department.

But his order subsequently found its way into a legal maze. Vrindavan Horticulture Cooperative Society then moved the Bombay High Court, which gave it some relief. However, three days later, Das moved the Supreme Court, which directed Raigad District Collector Shrikant Deshpande to investigate the dispute andsubmit a report within three months.

A senior forest official told Express Newsline that Deshpande’s inquiry, completed in the last week of May, ordered that the 17,700 hectares in dispute be handed over to the Forest Department. However, his order has been challenged before the MRT.

Forest and Environment Minister Chandrakant Khaire is indisposed and was unavailable for comment but a senior forest official claimed that the government is well within its jurisdiction to transfer the forest officials. However, he admitted that both Pakhare and Das have not completed their tenures in the Alibag forest division. He said the investigation is complete and the government has initiated legal measures to restore the forest land.

He said: "Khaire has not ordered any transfer. They have been issued on the basis of the proposals moved by the department and also on the request of the elected representatives of the people." Of the 60 transfers proposed after Khaire took over the reins of the department, sixwere cancelled owing to bad service records of the officials concerned.

Even though the Forest and Revenue departments both have adequate documentary evidence revealing the nexus between officials and builders, the government has yet to fix responsibility for the misuse of prime forest land.

"There is a cold war between the forest and revenue officials. While the former are trying to blame the colleagues in the Revenue Department, the latter feel it is the Forest Department’s primary responsibility to protect forest land," the official said.

Chronology of the scam

Sept 8, 1997: News of the scam breaks
Sept 17: Revenue minister orders probe
Sept 30: Farmhouses seized
Oct 4: Govt orders restoration of land to Forest Dept
Oct 10: Union Environment Ministry seeks information from state govt
Oct 20: Owners move Bombay High Court
Oct 23: Forest Dept moves Supreme Court
Current status: Maharashtra Revenue Tribunal toarbitrate