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| RTI exposes fraud by Forest officials | | Free timber given to undeserving families in Budgam | | Early Times Report
Budgam, Apr 4: An RTI has revealed that undeserving people were provided 30 to 40 square feet of timber (Budloo/ Fir) by authorities in lieu of illegal gratification in certain villages of Budgam where several residential houses were torched during sectarian clashes.
Some people who never got the timber have also been shown as its beneficiaries in official records and the said timber has been taken away by some influential people. Police have registered a case o in this regard but till date nobody has been arrested nor have authorities taken any action against any Forest official.
During sectarian clashes last year almost two dozen houses were burnt down by agitating mobs in some villages of Budgam. As many houses were completely damaged in Wadwan , Shahpora , Soibugh and adjoin villages , the authorities decided to provide free timber to such families. It was being alleged that some influential people also managed to get the free timber while as they suffered no damages. Some locals then decided to use Right to Information and sought all the details from local Range Officer under J&K RTI Act 2009.
"I was shown to have taken 38 square feet of timber from Forest department as affidavit was signed in my name without my information. I came to know about this fraud after the said documents were obtained by some locals RTI activists . Instead of taking action against the culprits, some local elders tried to implicate me in a fake case" says Bashir Ahmad.
Locals have appealed to the Government especially Chief Conservator of Forests Kashmir (CCF) to take the officials to task for fraud . They have appealed CCF to recover the money from people who were provided timber through illegal means.
It is important to mention that in a similar case some 24 illegitimate families were provided cheques @ Rs 48,000 under Indira Awaas Yojna (IAY) in Kutbal area of Chadoora Budgam as the same was exposed under RTI , the Rural Development Department finally recovered all the money which amounted to Rs 6 lakhs approximately. The residents of Shah Pora Wadwan and its adjoining areas have demanded that embezzled money should be recovered from such people who got free timber without suffering any loss during sectarian clashes last year. |
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