Ganesh ji of Chandpur Garhi (Chandpur Fort), Uttarakhand

Joli Danda Distruction

Chipko Foundation Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

TIMBER MAFIA STILL OPERATIVE IN PAURI GARHWAL DESPITE PIL IN SUPREME COURT

JP Dabral of Himalayan Chipko Foundation has filed several PILs in Supreme Court of India exposing the misuse of Hak hakook system and the nexus between the forest department officials and the timber mafia. In two such matters the Ministry of Environment & Forests has confirmed that the nexus exists and the illegal felling of trees does take place in connivance with the Forest Department officials.

JP Dabral has also filed a PIL exposing the illegal felling of about 5000 trees in Joli Danda in Dwarikhal Block, Pauri Garhwal. The PIL was admitted by Supreme Court which directed its Central Empowered Committee to investigate and report on the matter. Uttarakhand Government has not filed its reply for the last two months and has been seeking adjournments because the Forest Department claimed that the official copy which was serviced by the applicant to their Counsel and the Government of Uttarakhand has not been received by them.

Despite this PIL which should have made the Forest Department officials alert and cautious more than 150 trees have been cut in the forests of Joli Danda by the Timber Mafia last week. Villagers on condition of anonymity have said Arjun Singh a known timber mafia don about whom MoEF have also confirmed, has is in connivance with some Forest Ranger who belongs to village Dhaonri in Dwarikhal Block felled the 150 trees through sub-contractors. The Ranger who gets a large chunk of the profit also facilitated the transit of about eight trucks of sleepers from the Joli Forest. From one tree about 6 to 12 sleepers can be obtained depending on the size of the tree. In one truck about 280 sleepers are transported. Even if 10 sleepers were obtained from one tree then about 28 trees were cut for each truck. At this rate about 200 trees would have been cut. Villagers also told us that each truck is valued more than Rs. 3 lakhs in the market which is shared by the Ranger and the timber mafia. When we went to survey the area we found freshly sawed pine trees. The resin oozing out of the trees was still white and clean. The trees are scattered over a area about one km. in length starting from the village boundaries of Kandwan and Baryun and extending to the area near the temple at Jolikhal.

We are very confident that permission to cut not more than two or three trees would have been given by the Forest Department to an individual farmer to cut the trees in his Naal Land. We are also surprised how transit permits are given for eight trucks when the permit is given for felling two or three trees.

It is not difficult for the Forest Department for the senior Forest Department officials to identify the Ranger and collect the evidence from the villagers and the forests to arrest the contractors and the corrupt Forest Department officials. They must also take action against the personnel who are manning the check posts between Joli Danda and Kotdwar where the trucks had gone.

JP Dabral of Himalayan Chipko Foundation has already written to PCCF and Chief Secretary in Dehradun. If no action is taken then he shall file another PIL in Supreme Court.

Chipko Foundation Press Relese

Press Release

UTTARAKHAND FILES ADDITIONAL AFFIDAVIT

ADMITTING MISUSE OF HAK HAKOOK

CEC SAYS PCCF’S GUIDELINES INADEQUATE. ASKS PETITIONER TO RECOMMEND.

A major forest scam has been unearthed. The timber mafia is cutting thousands of trees in the forests of Uttarakhand after obtaining permissions from forest officials in the pretext of ‘Hak Hakook’ (wood for traditional usages of villagers). The smugglers cut many more trees than the sanctioned number. The trees sanctioned for cutting are far away from the villages making it unviable for the villagers to transport the wood to their villages. All the wood is cut in marketable sizes and sold in the black market. The beneficiaries on whose name the sanctions for cutting trees are granted have no clue of what is happening in their names. Applications on their behalf are made by village pradhans to the Forest officials. The pradhans get paid a paltry amount for this application. After sanctioning the application is given to the timber mafia who cut the trees and sells the wood in the market.

This scam was exposed through PILs in Supreme Court filed by JP Dabral of Himalayan Chipko Foundation which highlighted the misuse of Hak Hakook system in several villages in Pauri Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal and Rudraprayag districts of Uttarakhand. Supreme Court ordered State of Uttarakhand and Ministry of Environment & Forests to enquire into the complaints. State of Uttarakhand got enquiries conducted by the Rangers, DFOs, two Conservators of Forests and Addl. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests. All these enquiries denied any illegal cutting of trees and accused the petitioner of maligning the officials in the Supreme Court.

The report submitted by Ministry of Environment & Forest corroborated all the facts of the petition and even mentioned that the cover-up operations of the officials of Forest Department were made after the complaint was filed in Supreme Court. None of the officials of Uttarakhand visited the actual site of the tree felling. They only saw the area from the road whereas most of the felled trees were located at a distance away from the road.

The cut trees could not have been for the use of the villagers because it is unviable to transport the same to the villages which are nearly 80km away. The rules for transit and transportation of wood are very cumbersome and it is difficult for the poor and simple villagers to get the permission easily.

The Forest Department filed affidavits denying the misuse of Hak Hakook or illegal felling of trees. However after the submission of the report of Ministry of Environment & Forest highlighting the corruption and misuse of Hak Hakook, Forest Department, Uttarakhand have filed another affidavit in which they have admitted that there has been misuse of Hak Hakook and issued guidelines made by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) to stop further misuse of the system.

The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of Supreme Court was not satisfied with the new affidavit of Government of Uttarakhand because it did not ensure transparency in the system and was devoid of accountability of the officials. It has now asked the petitioner to give his recommendation so that the lacunae in the guidelines made by PCCF Uttarakhand are overcome. The CEC has also assured the petitioner that apart from making the guidelines to prevent future misuse of the system they shall also look into the issue of violation of Forest laws and punishment of the officials.

Persons who can be contacted for an impartial opinion:

Mr. Jiwarajka, CEC, 26884921/23/26

Mr.RBS Rawat PCCF Uttarakhand: 01352746934, 9412051550

Mr. YPS Chauhan, Conservator of Forests, MoEF Regional Off.-Lucknow, 9453019750

C-253 C, West Facing Building, IInd. Floor,

Pandav Nagar, Delhi - 110092
Mobile: +91-9868277171

Email: jp_dabral@indiatimes.com

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