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| Private Hydro firm, forest officials come under ACB scanner for ‘encroaching’ Kokernag woods | | | Saahil Suhail
Early Times Report
Anantnag, Sept 12: The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) is all set to initiate a probe against a private hydro firm for causing huge damages to forests in Kokernag area of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, Early Times learnt from official sources.
They said that the agency had taken cognizance of the report published in the ‘Early Times’ titled ‘Private Hydro firm encroaches land, chops trees illegally at Kokernag’ on 10th of March this year and initiated a formal procedure to probe the matter. “We have received approval and a probe is likely to be initiated most probably next week,” official sources added.
They said that Forest Department officials and employees, who were supposed to monitor the execution of Hydro Power Project, are also under the scanner of the agency.
As reported earlier, in violation norms a private hydro firm has encroached around 1.03 hectares of land and chopped off hundreds of Kail and Fir trees in Ichoo Village of Vailoo Anantnag that too under the very nose of the officials from Forest Department.
As per reports, M/s 02Z Trading and Industries Private Limited, a private hydro firm currently executing 5-mega watt Small Hydel Project Ichoo at Kokernag has encroached the land at the site.
The firm, as per the ground survey and Detailed Project Report (DPR) was supposed to cut only 14 Kail and Fir trees but it chopped off hundreds of trees and caused huge damage to the forests.
“Felling of trees was going unabated. The firms used to smuggle the timber and when we raised hue and cry he began to bury it,” locals had told Early Times.
Deputy Director Forest Protection Force Anantnag, Nawab Ahmad Magray had also admitted that the private hydro firm has encroached forest land and chopped off trees illegally
The officer had claimed that he had submitted a detailed report to the Director Forest Protection Force, however it is unclear what the Director Forest Protection Force did to the report.
According to the documents, copies of which lie with Early Times, M/s 02Z Trading and Industries Private Limited, a private hydro firm was allotted the contract of 5-mega watt Small Hydel Project Ichoo on Built Operate Own and Transfer (BOOT) basis for a period of 40 years vide No. ST/EDA/SHP/66/2553-65 Dated 16-09-2015 by Jammu and Kashmir Energy Development Agency (Science and Technology Department).
The government vide order No. 151-FST of 2016 dated 27—5-2016 alloted 2.385 Ha of forest land for construction of 1.06 Mega Watt Ichoo Hydel Power Project, however the agency constructed near about one and half kilometer water channel through forest compartment 97/v without required permission.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Anantnag, Feroz Ahmad Chatak told Early Times that he too had submitted a detailed report to the department and imposed heavy penalty on the firm.
“We had also initiated a probe into this matter. I was myself heading a committee and we have also submitted a report to the department besides have asked the firm to pay 77 Lakh rupees for violation of Forest Conservation Act,” the DFO told Early Times.
He admitted that the hydro firm had encroached 1.03 hectares of land and damaged 101 trees in the area. |
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