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| Instead of acting against encroachers forest department issues notices to journalist, whistle blower | | Whistle blower threatened of dire consequences by forest guard Krishan Lal | |  Ajay Sharma
RAJOURI, Sept 3: Instead of taking action against the people who have encroached forest land in this district the officers and officials of department have developed a novel idea of silencing the people who are vocal against the encroachment and are raising the issue in their own way.
The same got proved today after this Early Times reporter received a notice from in-charge Range Officer, Sunderbani Deepak Kumar. In the notice the in-charge Range Officer while quoting Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Nowshera, Suresh Manda has asked the journalist to come to the office on September 5 and substantiate his claim that encroachment of forest land has taken place in Rugga village in Prat Panchayat.
The Early Times had carried a story on September 1 that around 3,000-4,000 Kanals of forest land has been encroached in compartment number 50/D in wards 9 and 10 in the Rugga village. The encroachment has taken place inside the boundary pillars 6 and 7 in the concerned compartment number. The encroachment has been carried out by a powerful man in connivance with officials of department.
Ideally the department should have acted against the encroachers but instead of that they have issued notice to the Early Times reporter and also to the whistle blower Manzoor Hussain. In fact the whistle blower was threatened by forest guard Krishan Lal of dire consequences in case he failed to prove his allegation of encroachment. Krishan is said to be hand in glove with encroachers of forest land.
The whistle blower said that he received a summon today and he has been told to disclose names of people who have encroached forest land. He said that names of concerned jungle smugglers have been forwarded to the department in the past adding that the guilty attacked him, his wife and other family members. He said that due to intervention of Sarpanch they had to go for a compromise with the encroachers.
Conservator Forests Rajouri, B Mohan Dass crossed all the limits when he asked the Early Times reporter and other media persons to lodge a written complaint with respect to encroachment of forest land. If media and whistle blower have to be part of the probe then what is the mandate of Department of Forests and who would stop the encroachment. |
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