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| Jungle scams adjourn House | | Opposition wants Kundal facts, Govt silent | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | Jan 10
As controversy over Forest scam refuses to die, pandemonium prevailed in the Legislative Assembly this morning for a long while compelling the Speaker to adjourn the House for half an hour.
The Opposition National Conference accused the government of hiding the facts pertaining to the Forest department shielding the Minister. They wanted tabling of Kundal Committee report which had probed the misappropriations in the Forest department.
There was no definite response from the government on the issue which made the opposition members to rise from their seats and rent slogans. In no while the entire enraged opposition led by the National Conference walked to the Well of the House and stalled the proceedings for quite a while.
Speaker Tara Chand found it difficult to run the proceedings as the opposition did not relent despite his several persuasions. He even deferred the particular question pertaining to the Forest department but the opposition did not agree on anything short of the Kundal Committee report. Finally, the Speaker had to adjourn the proceedings for half and Hour. Some semblance of order was restored when members returned to the House after half an hour.
The trouble had erupted in the House when questions pertaining to the Forest department were listed for replies during the Question Hour. Minister of State for Forests Ghulam Mohammad Saroori was taking up the questions but the entire opposition gunned for the senior Minister Qazi Mohammad Afzal.
The main question was from Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo of National Conference who wanted to know rate of timber and patterns of supply. The Minister of State said that the "firewood is supplied only to religious institutions and for cremation. It is not provided to consumers and public". He said, "the rates of supply of timber have been revised on May 19, 2006. These rates have not been enhanced during current financial year and at present there is not proposal to reduce the existing rates fixed in 2006".
However, the member was not satisfied with the reply and he put supplementaries to the Minister.
Intervening at this stage Minister for Forests Qazi Mohammad Afzal gave reply to the supplementaries but Mr. Ali Mohammad Sagar and Mr. Mubarak Gul joined by almost all National Conference members put volley of supplementaries to the Minister and raised various issues with regard to the reply of the question.
Speaker Mr. Tara Chand deferred the question, however, the National Conference members raised slogans demanding tabling of Kundal Report. At this same time NPP members raised slogans demanding constitution of delimitation commission and effecting fresh delimitation. This caused pandemonium in the House and Speaker adjourned the House for half an hour.
Earlier, the government said in written reply that the the Timber Sale Depots have been established in the state for supply of timber to the consumers. The Forest Department supplies timber in areas falling in "A" zone and "B" zone and State Forest Corporation supplies timber in the area falling in "C" zone, Municipal Corporations, Councils and Committees units. The timber is provided to the consumers for their bonafide use on subsidized rates fixed by the Government. Besides timber is also supplied to the local residing in "A" zone areas, where timber sale depots are not established, out of the fallen material directly from forests under Jammu and Kashmir Forest Notice". |
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