The Opposition Congress on Tuesday charged in the State Assembly that due to apathetic attitude of the State administration in Rajnandgaon district, Ambagarh Chowky panchayat officials constructed 3 km long road between Kolhatola and Taramtola under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act on the forest land without the approval of the department and in the process the villagers felled thousands of trees, including Teak plantation.
This has not only caused heavy loss to the State exchequer but also opened new opportunity to encroach upon the reserved forest land. Unfortunately, instead of checking this encroachment, Panabaras Forest Development Corporation officials remained mute spectators.
According to Congress members Bhajan Singh Nirankari and Mohammad Akbar who had raised the issue during zero hour, for the construction of this road under the Central Government-sponsored MNREGA scheme Rs 6 lakh 14 thousand was approved.
The construction work started on January 21 this year and within 15 days it was accomplished. But in this hurry panchayat officials also cleared nearly 2 thousand young teak trees which were planted under compartment 572 falling on this stretch by the Forest Development Corporation years back. It shows collusion between officials of Forest Development Corporation and Panchayat Department, the opposition alleged.
In his reply, forest minister Vikram Usendi turned down the charges of opposition members saying that the said narrow road existed there for years back and is used by villagers. Only upgradation of the road was done, of course without approval of the forest development corporation, but its length is 700 meters instead of 3 km as was said by the members. Usendi told the house that as soon as Forest Development Corporation officials got the news of road construction they came into action and stopped the work on 25 January 2013.
The Corporation has also filed forest offence case no. 169/19 dated 25.1.2013 under the rules of forest conservation Act 1980, section 2 and another case No. 169/20 dated 5 February 2013 for illegal tree felling and digging of forest land against the villagers. He informed the house that during investigation only 5 trees of 31-40 cm diameter were found cut by the villagers. Value of these trees are around Rs 135 instead of crores as is alleged by the members. After seizure of the wood the department is again initiating action as per the forest department rules, the minister told the House.