Show cause notices have been issued to 16 officers of Indian Forest Service (IFS) in the smokeless stove scam of the Forest department. Four of these officers have been found guilty of financial irregularities in other works also.
Chief Minister Raman Singh gave this information in a written reply to Congress member Bhupesh Baghel in the State Assembly on Monday. The Chief Minister said that the 16 IFS officers to whom notices had been issued for financial irregularities in construction of smokeless stoves of the Forest department include — Dr Anup Bhalla APCCF (Work Plan), AH Kapasi, Conservator of Forest and Additional Director (Research and Training), JP Chandrakar Conservator of Forest (Elephant Reserve Sarguja), Vishwesh Kumar Jha Divisional Forest Officer (Kawardha), Debashish Banerjee Deputy Conservator of Forest at State Forest Development Corporation (Raipur), Anil Soni Divisional Forest Officer (Bastar), Narendra Pandey Divisional Forest Officer (Gariaband), Ashutosh Mishra Divisional Forest Officer (Mahasamund), SP Paikra Divisional Forest Officer (Narayanpur), Keny Methachio Divisional Forest Officer (Jashpur), SK Paikra Divisional Forest Officer (Kondagaon), Satya Prakash Masih Divisional Forest Officer (Bilaspur), KK Khelwar Divisional Forest Officer (South Kondagaon), Hemant Kumar Pandey Divisional Forest Officer (Bilaspur), SSD Badgaiya Divisional Forest Officer (Baloda Bazar) and JR Nayak Divisional Forest Officer (Korba).
He said that among these officers, four have been found guilty of financial irregularities in other works. These officers are SK Paikra, Hemant Kumar Pandey, SSD Badgaiya and JR Nayak.