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| Swindling of Eco-conservation funds by BGSBU, NGOs | | High profile Committee to submit much-delayed probe report soon | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
JAMMU, Aug 1: High profile committee probing into alleged misuse of financial assistance provided by Union Forest and Environment Ministry to five non-Governmental organizations alongwith Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University (BGSBU) is soon going to submit its report to the State Government.
Sources said that probe is in the final stages. They added that Deputy Commissioners of Anantnag, Srinagar and Rajouri have managed to secure records from the NGOs and the University involved in the alleged scam. Deputy Commissioners have managed to visit the places where the concerned organizations have carried out the afforestation under the said programme, sources disclosed.
In one of the meetings of committee which was held in Srinagar, Deputy Commissioners of all the three districts where the probe is going on handed over the work done reports of the concerned NGOs and the University to the committee. Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) Vinod Ranjan, who is Chairman of the committee, directed members of the high profile team to ensure plugging of all loopholes so that a well-documented and complete report is presented to the Government, claimed sources.
They said that probe committee has got documentary evidence from the NGOs as well as BGBSU Rajouri of the work done by them but on ground verification, which is an essential part of the probe is yet to be carried out. Sources disclosed that detailed ground verification of the claims made by BGSBU and the accused NGOs would be done to ascertain factual position.
Sources further said that BGSBU administration is using all possible means to get the probe scuttled and it is owing to this reason that the probe which was to be completed within 15 days is incomplete even after four months and 10 days. They added that it is the stubbornness of the Chairman of the committee, who is PCCF (J&K) that has prevented the ongoing probe from becoming history.
It needs to be mentioned here that Union Ministry for Forest and Environment selected at least five NGOs and a University namely BGSBU for afforestation and other pro-environment measures. Funds were provided to these NGOs with a promise that if they succeeded in their mission, subsequent installments would be released. However, these NGOs and the University took the first installment and then preferred not to even respond to repeated communications from Union Ministry.
Apart from Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University (BGSBU) Rajouri, other five NGOs which received the funds included Global Green Peace (GGP), Human Objective to Protect Environment (HOPE), JK State Welfare Institute, Khakani Ladies Vocational Centre (Anantnag) and Society for Ecological and Environmental Protection. Finding no response, Union Ministry wrote to the Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir.
He immediately took cognizance of the matter and as per the Government order number 6117-GAD of 2012, Dated 21- 2-2012, a committee was framed to look into the defaults of voluntary agencies (NGOs) in respect of projects sanctioned by Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. Committee was headed by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) J&K with Registrar Co-operative Societies and concerned Deputy Commissioners as its members.
Most of the organizations under the Government scanner have received the funds between 2003-2008. The committee had been asked to submit the detailed report within 15 days to facilitate legal action and recovery of allocated money from each defaulter. But the same did not happen and it was given an extension, following which it will submit report to the Government as and when the same is completed. |
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