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| CBI presented Challan in much publicized multicrore timber scam | | Most allegations are not proved, Court granted bail to all the accused | | Jammu, August, 29:- Central Bureau of Investigation today presented Challan in much publicized timber scam against timber traders and two employees of the forest department in the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Jammu (
Special Court
under CBI Act for Jammu Province). All the accused who were presented at the time of presenting Challan have applied for bail, Chief Judicial Magistrate Jammu Mr. Sanjay Dhar granted bail to all the accused involved in the scam with the direction that they will furnish bail and personal bond to the tune of Rs 25000/- each. CBI Claimed most allegations are not proved
This much publicized multicrore timber scam has been registered by the CBI on the direction of High Court passed on September 12, 2005 in a Public Interest Litigation. Earlier the Crime Branch has registered a case 420/467/468/471 and 120-B RPC on the complaint of one Mr. VK Gupta (Retd employee of the forest). In the complaint it has been submitted that Director General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D) New-Delhi is in contract with J&K Forest Department through Conservator of forests, Central Circle for supply of timber Chir and Fir to Army and Deodar to railways. The Conservator of Forests Central Circle of J&K having no source of timber procures same from private timber merchants. The timber merchants in turn purchase the timber from State Forest Corporation, which is the only source of timber in J&K State. The timber before dispatching to the consignee is passed by the Timber Passing Officer Jammu and Timber Passing Officer Srinagar for which they issued inspection notes and tally sheets measurements lists. The complainant has alleged that against order of “A” Grade timber forest department passed “C” Grade timber against supply of deodar. They dispatch Fir which is 1/8th of the price of Deodar. Officers of Forest Dept accept Fir/Chir against Deodar from the timber merchants. For showing the favour, the officer of the forest dept are accepting 10% commission of the total value of the timber.
In the complaint it has also been alleged that the timber merchants are supplying only 7 sleepers in 1 cu.mt whereas 1 cu.mt must contain 10 sleepers. Thus the officers of forest department are accepting only 60-70 percent of the volume of the total supply. The officers of quality control department of the army accept ‘C” Timber against the order of “A” grade and for this showing this favour (army officers) accept 10 % of the value of the timber as commission from the timber merchants.
CBI during the course of investigation revealed that DGS&D New-Delhi has placed two supply orders to Conservator of Forest Central Circle J&K. Supply order No 1 amended dated March 29, 2005 had placed supply order of 210 cu.mt sleepers timbers softwood Grade-II species of Chir/Fir, this quantity was raised to 4320 cu.mt. This amended quantity of 430 cu.mt was also of timber softwood sleepers Grader-II species of Chir/Fir and numbers of consignees raised from 3 to 4 and quantity was also reallocated to each consignee. Supply order of April 6, 2005 for 1370 cu.mt of timber softwood sleepers Grade-I species of Chir/Fir to 13 different consignees of army as mentioned in the supply order. The forest dept has procured Chir/Fir species from timber traders namely M/S Classic Timber Traders, M/S Farooq and Company, M/S Sayal Enterprises and M/S JK Wood Products. The allegation that timber scants were loaded in 14 wagons at Railway Station Bari-Brahamana Jammu and despatched to different consignees of Army in the supply order. This allegation is found partly substantiated to the extent of 122 scants sub-standard out of 5416 scants. The allegation that supplying timber species Fir against Deodar is not found substantiated as the supply order placed by DGS&D for supply of timber Chir/Fir of Grade 1and Grade II and not of Deodar. The allegation of 10 % commission of total cost of the timber to the officers of the forest department, does not arise as this allegation is also not found substantiated during the investigation. The allegation against Gurdeep Singh the then TPO Jammu, who have passed total 5416 number of disputed timber scants of Chir/Fir falsely shown their measurement as 595 cu.mt as shown in the tally sheet duly signed by Mr. Ghulam Mohd Khan and also in the abstracts of tally sheet which are duly signed by M/S Gurdeep Singh and Ghulam Mohd Khan. Those timber scants were loaded in 14 wagons when those sleepers were checked and measured by the committee members headed by Mr. PC Kapoor appointed by the High Court. The number of scants were 5420 in place of 5416 shown to have passed and despatched by Gurdeep Singh the then TPO Jammu. The Volume of 5420 timber scants were found measuring 457.718 cu.mt only by the committee members as against 595 cu.mt falsely shown to have been passed by Mr. Gurdeep Singh. Thus the said officer and officials of the forest dept have dishonestly and fraudulently passed and certified approximately 29% more volume (the cost of excess volume was 28.6 lace approximately) than the actual by falsely preparing tally sheets and using them as genuine one with a view to cause wrongful gain to timber merchants M/S Shiekh Farooq of M/S JK Wood Products, Mohd Farooq Ganai of M/S Farooq and Company, Baldev Singh Syal of M/S Syal Enterprises, Mustaq Ahmed of M/S Classic Timbers of Traders.
The allegation against officers of Quality Control of Army for taking commission, the allegation is also not found substantiated. As regard the supply effected by M/S National Timber traders, investigation has revealed that this Firm has purchased the timber from its sister-concern M/S Lakshmi Timber Traders for making available to forest dept for the alleged supply. M/S Lakshmi Timber traders claimed to have supplied the dispute timber to M/S National Timber out of its purchases from J&KSFC source in the year 2003 and timber of Himachal Pradesh state forest corporation. Thus this allegation could not be found proved beyond reasonable doubt. However for the negligence found on the part of officers of forest dept for not checking the timber being purchased by them from these timber merchants to be J&KSFC source a reference is being made to the disciplinary Authority of the erring officers/ officials of the forest dept for taking Departmental Action against them.
The facts prima-facie disclosed commission of offences punishable u/s 120-B RPC r/w section 420/511/468/471 and substantiated offences u/s 420/511, 468 and 471 RPC committed by Mr. Gurdeep Singh the then TPO Jammu, Ghulam Mohd Khan the then Forester posted under TPO Jammu, Shiekh Farooq of M/S J&K Wood Products, Mohd Farooq Ganai of M/S Farooq and Company, Baldev Singh Syal of M/S Syal Enterprises, Mr. Mustaq Ahmed of M/S Classic timber traders and Challan was presented by Mr. OP Gour SP CBI/ACB Jammu.
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