The Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Maneka Gandhi has written to Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat complaining about withdrawal of earlier recommendation against a forest department official accused of serious anomalies.
In her letter to Rawat, Gandhi states that when the Haridwar divisional forest officer HK Singh was posted in the Tehri forest division, the case of 1,116 green trees being felled illegally, facilitation of encroachment on forest land by tampering with forest boundary pillars and cutting trees for a seven metre wide motor road and getting it constructed in the name of repairing and widening a six-foot wide equine track had come to light. She states, “Following departmental inquiry and site inspection, the divisional forest officer was found guilty and on May 21, 2010 orders were passed by the state administration for adverse entry against HK Singh and holding his annual increment for a year. Such orders were passed with the approval of the Governor. The Forest department has not acted on the administrative orders against the said officer so far. Instead, the DFO was posted on important posts in protected and reserved forests including the post of the deputy director of Rajaji national park and his current post in the Haridwar forest division. During Singh’s posting in this division cases which have come to light include encroachment and illegal construction on forest land, facilitation of encroachment by tampering with leased land boundary pillars, illegal felling of prohibited tree species, getting the names of ineligible Van Gujjars in the list of Van Gujjars for rehabilitation and serious anomalies in the regularisation of daily wagers.
Despite all these cases, by an office memo dated June 22, 2016 approval was given to cancelling the order passed earlier for action against Singh. Absolving such a guilty and corrupt official is not just. In this case the former Tehri DFO getting 1116 green trees axed, facilitating encroachment by tampering with forest land boundary pillars and getting a seven metre wide road excavating a mountainside to facilitate approach to his own and other forest officers’ lands in the name of repairing an equine path are cases of serious irregularities.” The Union Minister writes that absolving such an officer instead of taking stern action against him is surprising and sends a negative message in the public about the government’s commitment to providing clean administration. She has demanded stringent action against the officer.