Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 1: Going tough on the violators of Forest Conservator Act, the Forest department today averted a major Forest Conservation Act (FCA) violation in Nar block of Poonch Forest Division and booked an Executive Engineer ( Xen) and Junior Engineer (JE), arrested three persons and seized Poklain being used in construction of PMGSY road without clearance from the department.
Official sources said that a joint Forest-FPF party led by Range Officer, Mendhar and Block Officer Nar seized a L&T Komatsu Pokland while illegally trying to construct a road in Compartment 155/M of Mendhar Range. Three persons have also been arrested by the Forest officials in this regard.
On receiving specific information from Block Forest Officer Nar, Karar Hussain Shah that some people are illegally trying to construct a road on Forest land by using heavy machinery without prior sanction, a joint Forest-FPF team under the supervision of Divisional Forest Officer Poonch, Dr Syed Nadeem Hussain, reached the spot near Bhata Dhurian and sized a Pokland engaged in the construction of the road under J&K Forest Act.
Three persons who have been arrested by the Forest officials under Sec 36 of J&K Forest Act have been identified as Nawaz Ahmad ( Poklain operator), Pranab Kumar (contractor’s assistant) and Sakhi Mohd (Mate). All the three have been sent to custody on police remand. The whole operation was carried under the guidance of Conservator of Forest, West Circle, Rajouri, Sameer Bharti.
On being contacted, Dr Nadeem disclosed that both the arrested operator and contractor’s assistant in their statement have divulged that they had started work on the said road on the directions of Executive Engineer and as per the alignment given by a Junior Engineer of PMGSY Department namely Ghulam Mustafa. They have further stated that they were provided a copy of Govt sanction of the said road and were asked to start the work. However, on verification of copy the said sanction order provided by the Junior Engineer PMGSY, it turned out to be forged and tempered. Both the Executive Engineer PMGSY Mendhar and Junior Engineer PMGSY have been booked for violation of Sec 2 of J&K Forest Conservation Act as well as for violation of Sec 6 (f) of J&K Forest Act and sanction for their prosecution shall be sought from the Administrative Department. DFO Poonch claimed that a detailed enquiry into the tampering/forgery of the said Govt order shall be conducted and an FIR in this regard shall be lodged.
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