(IN): Orrisa forest officials under scanner

[Guest guest]

Link: http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070022242

 

Orrisa forest officials under scanner

 

 

 

Sampad Mahapatra

Saturday, August 11, 2007 (Bhubaneswar)

Top officials of the Orissa Forest Department have been rewarded with

luxury cars and vehicles for looking the other way and allowing companies or

individuals to carry out mining or other illegal activity on forestland.

 

Now, thanks to an RTI filed by an activist, it might become clear where

those vehicles really came from.

 

The fleet of cars at Aranya Bhawan headquarters does not belong to the

Orissa Forest Department.

 

They come as gifts from various companies, a thank you for allowing them to

mine or carry out industrial activity on forestland.

 

The Orissa Forest Department has got 40 such vehicles including luxury cars

being used by top officials now.

 

*Act of extortion*

 

This can be interpreted as an act of extortion under the garb of legality

and activists say it's plain and simple - bribing.

 

While forest guards and field officials don't have patrol vehicles, top

officials have quite openly asked various companies for air-conditioned

luxury cars.

 

This led green activist Biswajit Mohanty to file a petition under the RTI

Act.

 

''This is a very incestuous relationship because the department is supposed

to be a regulatory agency. This is totally condemnable, this is unethical

and I would say this is illegal to a large extent. How can you expect an

officer to take action against a mine, which has given him a vehicle?,''

said Biswajit Mohanty, Environmentalist.

 

Fortunately, the new state Forest Secretary is open to investigating the

matter.

 

''Yes, I think someone did tell me about it and I shall surely look into it.

In fact, when someone told me this I said, no, I will not use that car and I

said I would use a government vehicle. So let's see how it's happening and

why it is happening,'' said Hrishikesh Panda, Secretary, Forest &

Environment.

 

Such practices do raise questions about top officials who decide on whether

or not forestland is to be allotted for mining and other industrial

purposes.

 

So the least the department can do now is return the cars and make sure it

doesn't happen again.

 

 

 

--

Fight captive Jumbo abuse, end Elephant Polo

http://www.stopelephantpolo.com