Pre-mature transfers, scams in Forest Deptt mock at Govt’s slogans of accountability, good governance: Harsh

STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Lambasting the large scale transfers of Forest officers prematurely by the State Forest Department, Chairman JKNPP and former Minister, Harsh Dev Singh regretted the blatant violations of norms and transfer policy formulated by the government on the subject.
In a statement issued here on Sunday, Harsh said that the State Forest Department throwing all norms and procedures to the winds affected transfers of 80 forest officers including DFOs and Range Officers by issuing two transfer lists in quick succession. He said that majority of the Forest Officers transferred had less than one year stay at their respective places of posting and it defied logic and rationale to shift them merely on the whims and fancies of the concerned authorities. He asserted that the most intriguing aspect of the matter was that the Forest Minister had himself made a statement last month during the course of a departmental meeting that there shall be no pre-mature transfers. He regretted that despite the aforesaid categorical announcement having been made publically, wholesale pre-mature transfer orders were issued clandestinely without mentioning any reasons. He said it was further ironical that all pre-mature transfers were made in Jammu region with not a single pre-mature transfer order of Forest Officers issued in Kashmir region.
Flaying such a reprobate decision of government which talked of accountability and good governance, Singh said that speculations were rife that the said transfer orders have been issued for extraneous and other monetary considerations.
Urging upon the Chief Minster to order a probe into all such pre-mature transfers, he sought the revocation of all such orders which have been issued in violation of norms and in contravention of the decisions taken in PM’s working group on good governance which provided that no officer shall be transferred until he has completed a minimum tenure of two years. He reminded the Chief Minister about his recent announcement directing various ministers to refrain from issuing pre-mature transfer orders.
Flaying further the Forest Minister for his vague and abstruse statements of bringing accountability in the department and removal of all encroachments, Singh said that all such statements have proved to be hoax. He said that whereas the affluent and influential people including politicians and bureaucrats have been allowed to enjoy immunity, the poor, landless and the marginalised are being targeted in the name of so called eviction from forest land. He further regretted the large scale destruction of forest wealth by forest mafia operated in connivance with certain forest officers enjoying the patronage of helmsmen. He said that all such favourites have been given the prized postings despite dubious credentials. He added that such officers have helped the well-off and influential to usurp and encroached forest land and to raise palatial bungalows and commercial centres on the same.
Singh further pointed out the large scale destruction of Deodar trees besides other green felling and smuggling of marchella esculanta ‘Guchhi’ in Basantgarh area of Forest Range Basantgarh of district Udhampur goes unabated despite complaints. He said the forest officials of the said range who proved guilty in enquiry report were allowed to go scot free reportedly on the directions of a minister.
Not only that Deputy Forester allegedly involved in the scam was upgraded and allowed to take over the charge of Forester, a senior position despite adverse report against him in the probe, he said adding that the situation of the kind prevails in majority of the forest divisions but is allowed to continue due to vested interests of those at the helm of affairs.