They are trying to mislead!!
- ‘Self praise has no recommendation’ and they three must know it.
- Those who are to be investigated are presenting joint verification report.
JJ CORRESPONDENT
Jammu, Mar 05: Why has the trio Tehsildar Kharah Balli, Block Officer Salamat Hussain and SHO Khour Rattan Singh Rana decided to prepare a verification report, when the DFO Jammu has already constituted a Committee? What was the intention of trio Tehsildar Kharah Balli, Block Officer Salamat Hussain and SHO Khour Rattan Singh Rana for preparing such verification report? Why were these three officials including Tehsildar Kharah Balli, Block Officer Salamat Hussain and SHO Khour Rattan Singh Rana in hurry to prepare joint verification report that too without any directions from the administrative office? These are very serious questions and trio are liable to answer these questions.
Giving a new twist to illegal cutting/felling of trees and Khair trees in Khour and Akhnoor Sub Division, the three officers who are accountable for the illegal cutting, felling and transportation of trees have visited the spot and prepared a report to mislead the people and to influence the six-member committee constituted by DFO Jammu to enquire the issue.
The issue started on the March 01, when there were reported illegal felling and cutting of Khair trees in Akhnoor and Khour Sub Divisions under Kalidhar Range, Some officers of revenue, forest and police had cooked a conspiracy for felling and cutting of Khair trees illegally as these three departments are mostly responsible to stop the illegal cuttings. But Tehsildar Kharah Balli, Block Officer Salamat Hussain and SHO Khour Rattan Singh Rana prepared a joint verification report of Village Thandi Choi on their own despite the authority has already constituted an Enquiry Committee to enquire the matter of illegal felling of khair trees in Khour and Akhnoor Sub Division.
The common is in quandary that how can people trust this joint verification team when the Block Officer, concerning Station House Officer and Tehsildar all three are under the shadow of doubt and they all are responsible for illegal felling of khair trees and its transportation. It is very ridiculing in this case that those who are part of the illegal cutting and supposed to be investigated are giving clean chit.
It is pertinent to mention that the episode of joint inspection team has been aimed to influence the Enquiry Committee constituted by DFO as per the sources in village and villagers further informed that they have not visited exact location and block officer forest Salamat Hussain have mislead the other two officers regarding the spots.
More than 35 Khair trees are felled illegally in Village Targwal (Jaynti Khad) when there was no permission of felling Khair trees. It is million dollars question that how the timber smugglers were allowed to transport as they were not possessing Form No 25 and it cannot be issued there. The Forest Check Post on both bridges in Akhnoor and Police Check Posts of Police Station Akhnoor are under the shadow of doubts that how the timber smugglers had transported the Khair as Khair wood need to be transported outside Jammu because there is not a single Khair processing unit in Akhnoor.
Acting swiftly, the DFO Jammu constituted an enquiry committee on 2nd March 2023 which was directed to submit detailed enquiry report within 3 days i.e. 5th of March but it is only in papers till today the report is roaming in air. The report further said that committee has not even started its work and not touched single village.
The most covered part of the story is that timber smugglers are silently being helped by providing them sufficient time to erase the evidence so that no any smuggler be caught.
The illegal felling of Khair is reported not only in Thandi Choi but also in Sunail (Jayanti Khad), Targwal, Sangani, Panjgrain, Lehar, Gosan, Lohara, Mawa, Pail etc.
The administration must come out of the deep slumber and take action against their own officers who are trying to erase evidence to help the smugglers. Their are reports that the smuggles have laid their hands on the Forest land and felled the Khair trees, which is most concerning part of the illegal feeling and cutting.
