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| Timber scam: Probe indicates involvement of PDP Minister | | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | Oct 7
The probe initiated by the state government to look into the allegations of "man-made scarcity" of timber created by the state Forest Department was hinting at the involvement of a senior PDP Minister, sources said today.
The findings of the inquiry, being conducted by Financial Commissioner (Home) B R Kundal, could trigger another political storm in the state between Congress and its junior alliance partner PDP, which has been put on the back foot by the Ghulam Nabi Azad government after it divested one of its ministers, Qazi Afzal, of the portfolio of Forest and Environment in September this year.
The probe indicated that a senior leader of the PDP, also a Minister in Azad's government, had allegedly been conniving with certain timber merchants from outside the state for supply of wood against which an "artificial scarcity" of timber was created, the sources said.
The report would be handed over to the Chief Minister soon after which action was likely to be taken, they said.
The same Minister was also allegedly instrumental in bringing in a senior official into the State Forest Corporation (SFC).
Kundal was asked to carry out the probe on September 12 by Azad and study why and how the SFC had created "artificial scarcity" of timber in the state to facilitate import of the commodity in bulk from outside the state.
The report is also alleged to have also found "grave irregularities" involving bureaucrats and others, sources added. |
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