Nation»
Ministry suspends ‘corrupt’ forest officials
KATHMANDU, MAY 21 -
The Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation (MOFSC) on Friday suspended four senior officials of Sarlahi and Panchthar for their involvement in timber smuggling and promoting deforestation and corruption at the local level.
While Sarlahi District Forest Officer (DFO) Shekhar Kumar Yadav was suspended as per
directions issued by the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), Panchthar-based DFO Ganesh Kumar Karki, Assistant DFO Ram Adhar Singh and forester Nilam Katwal also faced the music.
“We were already planning to suspend them after finding that they were involved in
deforestation and corruption. The CIAA direction to suspend Yadav was a mere coincidence,” ministry Spokesman Ram Prasad Lamsal told the Post on Friday.
On Friday, the CIAA directed the ministry to take action against Yadav for his involvement in promoting corruption and deforestation in the Chure region in Parwanipur in Sarlahi.
Undersecretary at the ministry, Jagadish Prasad Gupta, has been assigned to look after the Sarlahi District Forest Office, while officials are yet to be deputed in Panchthar.
A field investigation team of the CIAA had concluded that Yadav was actively involved in anamolies, while he had a hand in promoting deforestation and
corruption in the district.
“DFO Yadav was actively involved in promoting corruption and deforestation; the CIAA, thus, directed the ministry to suspend him immediately,” CIAA Spokesman Ishwori Poudel said.
The ministry has banned all sorts of forest related trade in community and national forests.
The decision comes in the wake of reports of rampant deforestation across the country mainly in Bara, Saptari, Siraha, Rautahat, Nawalparasi and Kailali districts.
Posted on: 2010-05-22 08:58
Headlines
Advertisements
