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Book shady forest officials, PM told
KATHMANDU, AUG 16 -
Caretaker Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has been goaded on to book the forest officials involved in deforestation and timber smuggling and conduct investigation as soon as possible.
A meeting of Department of Natural Means Management of the CPN-UML held here on Monday said the government has not played a proactive role to take legal action against the culprits at a time when the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) is carring investigation into deforestation and smuggling of forest products.
The CIAA had directed the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation more than two months ago to punish 16 district forest officers and other forest guards who were found involved in smuggling and deforestation across the Tarai and Chure range. However, the concerned authorities have not taken any action yet.
Department chief and UML leader Pradeep Nepal urged the government not to take any decision regarding amendment of the Forest Act 1993. It would demoralise the efforts of local communities to conserve forests and weaken the democratic norms and values, he said. The Forest Ministry has recently proposed amendment of the Act that has curtailed the rights of community forest users and has limited the provision of the forest management by communities.
The amendment includes increasing the revenues raised from forest products by community forest user groups to the government from 15 percent to 50.
“The amendment is ill-timed and is not the priority of the present Cabinet,” Nepal said, “We urge the government to pull out the proposal on amendment of the Forest Act”, he added.
Posted on: 2010-08-17 08:43
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