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| Extraction of timber allotted to close relations for pecuniary gains | | Former SFC MD, GM, others booked for misusing official position | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | June 18
State Vigilance Organization registered a case under appropriate section of PC Act, 2006 and RPC against Aijaz Ahmad Bhat, the then Managing Director, State Forest Corporation, Ghulam Hassan Marazi, the then General Manager, R&D, SFC and others for misuse of official position in allotting extraction of timber contracts in violation of rules, thereby conferring undue benefits to their favorite contractors in certain selected compartments during 2006-07.
The verification conducted by the SVO into the allegations of irregularities in allotment of contracts by SFC Management have revealed that during the year 2006-07, in pursuance of a criminal conspiracy, Aijaz Ahmad Bhat, then Managing Director, in league with Ghulam Hassan Marazi and other officials of the Corporation and contractors, dishonestly and fraudulently, after manipulating the records, allotted the extraction work of standing timber in certain compartments to some of the proxy contractors of Shafqat Hussain Sheikh s/o Ghulam Hassan r/o Nagar, Bhaderwah.
The allotment was made by the accused public servants by abuse of their official positions, to two relatives and two close associates (drivers), 3 of whom were registered and one unregistered, of favorite contractor Shafqat Hussain Sheikh. These included his brother and nephew. Also influential contractors (1 registered and 1 unregistered) were selected through a pick and choose method despite availability of a number of registered poor/petty contractors falling in ‘Amani’ category. Also, the quantity allotted was illegally raised beyond the statutory limit of 40,000 Cft to confer undue pecuniary benefit upon the contractors and themselves.
The conspiracy to confer illegal benefit started when amendments were made in the 59th meeting of Board of Directors of State Forest Corporation on April 6, 2007 vide which the domicile restriction for choosing ‘Amani’ from around the forest area to be extracted was waived off and the quota of allocation to each ‘Amani’ was increased from 20,000 Cft to 40,000 Cft. The amendments made at the instance of Aijaz Ahmad Bhat, MD, SFC were subsequently misused by him and other employees with criminal intent to confer undue benefit upon influential contractors and favorite proxy contractor Shafqat Hussain Sheikh by allotting extraction of timber to the proxies of said contractor thereby defeating the laudable intent of Government to reserve 33 percent extraction of timber to benefit petty/ poor mates / contractors living in the vicinity of a forest area. |
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