Use of forest land for PMGSY road in violation of Conservation Act
Deadlines missed twice despite availability of record
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Oct 13: There is no end to the dilly-dallying approach in the completion of inquiry into the use of forest land for construction of road under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in Reasi district in violation of Jammu and Kashmir Forest Conservation Act, 1997, which was ordered six months back.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that on the receipt of communication No.PS/CS/ Forest-Reasi/2018 dated March 2, 2018 from the office of the Chief Secretary, the General Administration Department vide Government Order No.528 dated March 27, 2018 accorded sanction to the appointment of Kifayat Hussain Rizvi, the then Commissioner Secretary to Government, Labour and Employment Department as Inquiry Officer to enquire into the use of 2.635 hectares of forest land for construction of road from Kilometer 15 to Narla in Reasi Forest Division by the officers and officials of PMGSY in violation of J&K Forest Conservation Act, 1997.
It was specifically mentioned in the order that the Inquiry Officer shall submit his report within a period of one month from the date of issuance of the order and to meet the deadline the Forest, Environment and Ecology Department was asked to provide all the requisite records and assistance to the Inquiry Officer.
Though the Inquiry Officer conducted some exercise yet he failed to meet the deadline of one month. “What to talk of completion of inquiry by April 27, 2018, the Inquiry Officer even delayed the task till June 30, 2018 when he retired from the Government service on attaining the age of superannuation”, sources said.
Thereafter, General Administration Department slept over the issue, which is evident from the fact that for two months no new Inquiry Officer was appointed to carry forward the exercise conducted by previous Inquiry Officer.
It was only on August 28, 2018 that Commissioner Secretary to Government, General Administration Department Hilal Ahmad issued fresh order appointing new Inquiry Officer.
By way of this order, sanction was accorded to the appointment of Principal Secretary to the Government, Planning, Development and Monitoring Department as Inquiry Officer in place of Kifayat Hussain Rizvi to enquire into the use of forest land for construction of road under PMGSY in Reasi Forest Division in violation of J&K Forest Conservation Act, 1997. He was asked to submit report within a period of one month—by September 28, 2018.
However, this deadline has also been missed and inquiry is yet to be completed, sources said, adding “there is no justification in delaying the inquiry especially when some exercise has already been conducted by the previous Inquiry Officer and all record has been made available by the Forest, Environment and Ecology Department”.
When contacted, officers of the General Administration and Forest Departments expressed ignorance about the completion of inquiry and said, “all we know is that requisite record was furnished to the previous and present Inquiry Officer”.
“It is not for the first time that inquiry into any issue has been delayed”, sources said, adding “it has become precedence in the administration not to complete the inquiries within the stipulated time-frame”.
The Section 2 of the J&K Forest Conservation Act clearly states that Government shall not, except on the advice of the Advisory Committee constituted under Section 3 of the Act, make or issue any order or notification directing that any demarcated forest or any portion thereof shall cease to be a demarcated forest; make any order directing that any forest land or any portion thereof may be used for any non-forest purpose and no officer of the Government or other authority shall have power to make or issue any order or notification in this regard.
In the Act, there is also a provision for penalty for contravention of its provisions.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
