Forest Officers asked complainant to repay the amount at earliest

Complainant to submit affidavit!

• Mr LG come and take charge of Forest department as there is no one to take.
• The concerned BO says only some trees have been cvut but the senior officer told many trees have been taken away.

jj correspondent

Jammu, May 08: Has Forest department become a den of corruption? What is going on in Forest department as illegal felling of tress even from Forest land become very common? Why the officers of Forest department are so worthless that they even cannot detect single felling, if media reports not pull their ears? Why the concerned DFO Ramban avoided the phone calls of journalist of Jammu Jottings? Why the administrative department of Forest is in deep slumber and do not want to awake? Is it justified that complainant/whistle-blower has to solicit an affidavit that he will bear all the expenses like food and accommodation to the visiting team? These are very hard-hitting questions irritating in the mind of people and the senior officers of the Forest must reply these questions.
The illegal felling of trees from forest land has become very common and the entire forest brigade has become worthless even some of the officers have sided with the timber smugglers who are enemy of forest and trees. Such officers have developed relations with smugglers and they guide them for departmental technicalities. The smugglers are very clever as they pocketed some of forest officers and openly looting the green gold.
One complainant Sansar Singh has noticed that in the compartments 24 to 33 in Block Bingara, Range Ramban the trees are being illegally chopped off and he reported the matter to the seniors. Instead of taking immediate action, the forest officers have constituted a committee to enquire the issue and asked the complainant to furnish an Affidavit as he will bear all expensive, which is illegal and unethical. Often the whistle-blowers are being rewarded but the officers of Forest department are having their own agenda and own laws.
The complainant has complained in Governor’s Grievances Cell so that action be ensured but the officers of forest department are behaving like king. The concerned DFO Ramban avoided the phone calls and his Block Forest officer also attended the phone for one call. The affidavit has been signed on 02-03-23 and it contains, ‘That the deponent undertakes that I will accompany the visiting team during the investigation of green felling in compartment No 24-33 at Block Bingara, Range Ramban. 2) That the deponent will bear all the expenses like food and accommodation of the visiting team.