Early Times Report
Jammu, July 3: The manipulation of records and corrupt practices in the office of Divisional Forest Office (DFO) Jammu has been exposed by the enquiry report, which was ordered by Chief Conservator of Forests Jammu East Circle to find out the veracity of a Distance Certificate issued to a Stone Crusher to run its operations in village Saddral near Compartment number 52/D.
According to the enquiry report, it has been found that the Distance Certificate issued by the DFO Jammu was deliberately manipulated to benefit the stone crusher to run its operations. The DFO Jammu vide its letter number 1436-38 dated 3/6/2021 had issued a Distance Certificate in favour of CRB Stone Crusher giving a distance of 1.2 Kilometres (North), 1.2 Kilometres (East), 1.5 Kilometres (West) and 1.5 Kilometres (South) from the demarcated forest in Village Saddral near Compartment number 52/D in district Samba.
However, as per a latest report submitted by Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Samba to CCF Jammu, as the above mentioned area fall under jurisdiction of Samba Forest division, it reads, “DFO Samba has reported that CRB Stone Crusher is situated in a private land at a distance of 133 metres from the nearest Forest boundary”.
Surprisingly, only after 21 days of the issuance of Distance Certificate by DFO Jammu, the CCF has found the Distance certificate incorrect that too only after Early Times had exclusively exposed in its news report of June 8, 2021 that a stone crusher has been damaging forest cover in Compartment Number 52 in village Saddral, just 1 kilometres ahead of Mandal village.
Though the DFO Jammu had contradicted the Early Times report, an enquiry was initiated by the CCF, which found the Distance Certificate fictitious. “It speaks volumes of corruption prevalent in the DFO Jammu, where fraudulent Distance Certificate was issued to a Stone Crusher and if Early Times would not expose the same, the operations of the Stone Crusher would continue”, an official said, adding that it was just a tip of an iceberg and a complete enquiry must be ordered by the senior officials of Forest Department to root out corruption prevalent in these offices and save the Forest cover of Union Territory.
Following the latest report by DFO Samba about Distance Certificate, the CCF Jammu has written to the Member Secretary Pollution Control Board Jammu, vide letter number CFC/J/Stone Crusher/117-20 dated 24/6/2021 which reads, “.....the undersigned by Order number 81 (CF) East of 2021 dated 23/6/2021 rescined ab-initio, the Distance Certificate of DFO Jammu issued vide Order number 1436-38 dated 3/6/2021. DFO Samba Somdutt Khajuria didn’t pick up his phone despite repeated calls while Chief Conservator of Forests Jammu East circle, Samuel Changkija was also not available for comments. |
