Additional Principal Conservator of Forest M Kardam presently holding the post of Managing Director (MD) of Jharkhand State Forest Development Corporation (JSFDC) has written to the Chief Secretary and the Principal Secretary of Forest department about the state government’s biased approach in granting promotion to senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers.
The 1979 batch IFS officer has in a written representation to the CS and departmental secretary alleged that the government has denied him two due promotions and put hindrance in his way of scaling to the rank of PCCF on the grounds that were overlooked in promoting other officials of the service. Moreover, he stated that the charges on the basis of which he had been denied promotion, did not stand as the state government had exonerated him of the allegations leveled against him.
Kardam citing partisan approach of the government Kardam stated that 1980 batch IFS officer BC Nigam was promoted by the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) to the rank of Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) in spite of three criminal cases pending against him in which chargesheet had been submitted. “Nigam’s name was not in the FIR but his complicity was found in the case under Indian Forest Act and his name was added in the chargesheet in 2007,” Nigam stated.
“It is pertinent to point out that BC Nigam is posted as Special Secretary, Forest and Environment Department, and to the best of my knowledge was entrusted for preparing the folders of officers for the DCP members. BC Nigam intentionally hid the facts and misrepresented his case regarding pending criminal charges from the DCP members’ consideration. BC Nigam as special Secretary, Forest and Environment Jharkhand, abused and misused his authority and manipulated the DPC folders himself ….,” Kardam stated in his representation, a copy of which is with the pioneer.
Markad alleged that Nigam has misrepresented his pending criminal charges and abused his authority as Special Secretary of Forest Department. And, for this act of manipulation and misrepresentation of his pending criminal cases, action should be taken against him as spelled out in Jharkhand government notification of October 17, 2014, stated.
Sources revealed that a complaint regarding Nigam’s “illegal” promotion has already been sent by one Jitendra Kumar to the lokayukta Jharkhand and the departmental secretary has also been informed by the complainant about the issue.