Ajay Raina
JAMMU, Dec 2: In a major scam, an amount of Rs 87 lakh meant for protection of forests has been embezzled in Mahore Sub-Division of Reasi district right under the nose of the senior officers of the Forest Department.
According to the official sources, in order to ensure proper coordination between locals and Forest Department in checking cutting of trees illegally, Forest Department constituted 15 Village Forest Committees in Mahore Sub-Division. The concerned Forester was the Member Secretary of each Committee while as prominent local citizen as its Chairman.
Accordingly, 15 accounts on the name of VFCs were also opened in the J&K Bank at Mahore for crediting and debiting the funds for afforestation and allied works. Since 2011, funds were transferred into the accounts of VFCs but instead of utilizing on ground some officers of the Forest Department embezzled the funds by keeping the Chairmen of the VFCs in dark.
“The officers of the Forest Department flashed information among locals and VFC members that the department has closed the initiative of afforestation and there was no release of funds. But the funds were released on annual basis by the Government since 2011 and same were also withdrawn from bank accounts without informing VFC Chairmen”, sources added.
According to the documents, which are in the possession of the EXCELSIOR, huge amounts were transacted into these 15 accounts of VFCs of Mahore which were also withdrawn later. “Around Rs 87,42,366 were deposited in these 15 VFCs account since 2011 and Rs 87,34,210 were withdrawn. The most shocking fact is that the VFC members and most of the VFC Chairmen, on whose name funds were released by Central Government and later withdrawn from bank by forest officers, were not aware of these transactions”, sources added.
In the bank account Number 0105010200000162 of VFC Shergarh in Mahore, Rs 70,023 were received under the scheme in 2011 out of which Rs 65,798 rupees were withdrawn, in 2012 no amount was received and Rs 3,500 were withdrawn, in 2013 Rs 4,025,43 were received and Rs 2,958,28 were withdrawn, in 2014 Rs 1,307,62 were received and Rs 2,37,477 were withdrawn and in 2015 so far Rs 1,066,59 have been received whereas Rs 1,06,659 have been withdrawn.
Similarly in the bank account 0105010100000209 of VFC Dewal in Mahore, Rs 1,200,70 were received from Government in 2011 and Rs 1,19,570 were withdrawn, in 2012 the amount received and withdrawn was zero, in 2013 Rs 3,96,879 were received and Rs 3,13,221 were withdrawn, in 2014 Rs 1,21,550 were received and Rs 2,05,508 were withdrawn while in 2015 so far Rs 1,18,661 have been received and Rs 1,18,661 have been withdrawn. Same is the case with rest 13 VFCs accounts, sources added.
Sources also revealed that out of 15 VFCs, 8 are without Chairmen and two accounts are having only photographs of the Chairmen, which clearly indicate that the funds have been fraudulently withdrawn from the accounts.
“Not only the funds were embezzled, large scale deforestation is going on in the area with installation of the several illegal saw mills by the green gold smugglers in convince with Forest Department officials”, sources said, adding that Compartment Numbers 77, 78, 41, 42, 11, 12, 67 and 68 are worst affected by deforestation.
To hide their sin, the forest officials having hand in glove with the timber smugglers sprinkled ‘Lipton Tea’ on the left out stem of trees which are cut by timber mafia as tea shrinks the stem giving it a shape of an old tree, sources added.
Meanwhile, concerned over large scale bungling of funds and carelessness of officers towards preserving “Green Gold”, a Retired Forester and a prominent citizen of the area namely Ghulam Mohammad, resident of Bagga Mahore, who was Chairman of one of the VFC in the year 2007-08 wrote a letter to PMO disclosing the bungling of funds.
When contacted, Ghulam Mohammad, Retired Forester, who had sent a letter to PMO regarding bungling of funds on VFCs name, said, “In 2015, I came to know that around Rs 12 lakh have been credited by the Central Government in the account of VFCs and when I enquired, it came to fore that the scheme is still running and funds are being credited and debited from the accounts of VFCs opened in J&K Bank Mahore”, adding “around Rs 87 lakh have been embezzled by the forest officials since 2011 and Chairmen of the VFCs are not aware about these transactions”.
When asked about reply to his letter from PMO, he said that a communication was received by him mentioning that his letter was received and action will be taken.
Talking to the EXCELSIOR over phone, Chairman of VFC Bathoi Mahore, Zaman Shah said that “I was astonished when I came to know about the large scale embezzlement of funds had taken place on the name of VFCs in Sub-Division Mahore”. He added that the transaction and withdrawal of funds from VFCs are made without consent of Chairman of the Committees as the latter were told by the forest officials that the scheme had been closed.
Sources revealed that Mohammad Amin Chak, a Retired Forester who is closely associated with VFC creation in Gulabgarh Forest Range falling under Sub-Division Mahore said that whatever work was done even during the year 2007-08 not a single penny has been made by the Forest Department and money has been withdrawn illegally by Range Officer with active connivance of DFO Mahore.
“Chak had also filed an RTI with DFO Mahore in which he has sought all information regarding depositing and withdrawal of funds from the accounts of VFCs, but till date the Forest Department has not provided the details. Being an employee of the Forest Department, he claimed that since 2008-09 no work has been done on ground and huge amount has been withdrawn by Range Officer and DFO Mahore illegally”, sources added.
SDPO Mahore Ayaz Sheikh when contacted regarding the bungling of VFCs funds said that complaint has been lodged by Chairmen of VFCs regarding embezzlement of funds to the tune of Rs 87 lakh on their names. “We are investigating the matter and a case will be registered in couple of days as during preliminary investigation fraud has surfaced”, he added.
When contacted, Conservator Forest, Sunil Bharti said, “The matter came to his notice few days back and a committee headed by two IFS officers namely Shweta Jandial and Neelima has been constituted to look into the matter”.
“The committee will submit report within two weeks and action will be taken against erring officials”, he added.
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