Buckling under pressure of the Supreme Court the State Government has suspended two senior forest officials of Agra division for not complying with the orders of the Apex Court and showing laxity in aforestation drive. The axe fell on Chief Conservator of Forest P.K. Sharma and Ranger (Agra) Vibhash Ranjan. The DFO lalit Verma had already been suspended on similar charges. Government spokesman said that action has been taken against these officials for showing laxity in aforestation drive in Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ). “The Chief Minister has clarified that Government will not tolerate laxity in issues like environment and planting trees,” he said in a statement issued here on Sunday.
The Government reacted after Supreme Court in its directive on March 9 has castigated UP Government in alleged irregularities in utilisation of funds for felling and plantation of trees in TTZ in Agra for construction of four different roads. A bench, comprising Justices T S Thakur and C Nagappan, which gave four weeks for compliance of its orders, decided not to go for CBI inquiry after state's Additional Advocate General Gaurav Bhatia, assured that all orders of the apex court would be complied with and a better affidavit removing all discrepancies on numbers of trees uprooted and numbers of trees planted indicated.
Bhatia had said the state government was committed to carrying out the order of the apex court on the issue of compensatory afforestation at the expense of the project proponent. "Crores of rupees have been spent on afforestation. How much money actually utilised for plantation works in the area bothers us. Given the track record of forest department and authorities, we are inclined for proper inquiry," the bench said referring to the utilisation of public funds and non-compliance of its directions," the bench said.
Government spokesman said that for effective implementation of SC orders directives have been issued to form a committee which will probe the matter as per the wishes of the Apex Court. The committee would be headed by Commissioner, Agra division.