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CIAA officials to probe deforestation claims
KATHMANDU, AUG 13 -
Following reports of massive deforestation across the country, the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has deployed high-level officials to various districts to look into the matter before taking action against those allegedly involved in the anomalies.
The CIAA initiative comes amid the National Vigilance Centre’s (NVC) report which said that last month, thousands of hectares of forest land was destroyed in the last five months of the last fiscal year, mainly in the Tarai and Chure regions with the involvement of government officials and local administration.
In its field report, NVC, the anti-graft body headed by Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal had asked the government to take immediate steps to stem the rampant deforestation. “Since deforestation has emerged as a serious issue, we have deployed our senior officials to investigate the issues and collect more reliable evidences before taking action against the accused persons,” said CIAA spokesman Ishwori Poudel.
In the first phase of the investigation, the CIAA has dispatched officials to 16 districts, which, the report says, are more vulnerable to deforestation and encroachment. The officials will return to the Capital within two weeks with the names of government officials and others allegedly involved in graft, deforestation and encroachment of forestland.
The CIAA has sent teams to Morang, Udayapur, Kavre, Dang, Banke, Surkhet, Bardiya, Kailali and Dadeldhura districts in the first round of investigation. They will also investigate cases in Nawalparasi, Bara, Parsa, Sarlahi, Panchthar Ilam and Sindhupalchwok.
Posted on: 2010-08-14 08:25
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