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| Loss caused to forests by 440 KV line: Will Guv order probe? | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Dec 1: The role of Jammu & Kashmir Forest department is under scanner for failing to recover adequate compensation from the power company which is executing a project under Northern Region System Strengthening Scheme (NRSS-29).
Sources say that more than Rs 200 crore loss has been caused to the exchequer by the officials especially from Forest department and all eyes are now focused on Governor Satyapal Malik who should get the matter probed by the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB)
As reported already, thousands of forest trees have been axed from Baramulla to Rajouri by a private transmission company Sterlite Grid and its Subsidiary NRSS -29. The transmission line passes through 9 districts of state including Budgam, Shopian, Poonch and Rajouri.
The company was supposed to pay compensation to government for felling forest trees, but such vague estimates were prepared by Forest department in lieu of huge kickbacks which not only caused environmental disaster but also caused a heavy loss to state treasury.
The Forest department has failed to recover legitimate compensation from M/S Sterlite Grid. Sources say that in most of the forest areas local Foresters, Range Officers and even Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs) have not made the actual assessment of damages caused to Forests. The officers have even failed to recover the compensation in many Forest blocks.
As reported already the contracting agencies are allegedly involved in illegal practice of giving huge bribes to officials especially from Forest, Revenue and Police departments. An amount of Rs 40 cr has been recovered as compensation by Forest department in lieu of 40,000 forest trees (Deodar, Kail and Fir).
"The compensation money is very meager as an average tree will fetch Rs 1 to 2 lakhs in market for its timber value, but the Forest officers recovered mere Rs 10,000 for each felled tree. The Forest officers have taken huge kickbacks from transmission company and thus causing a loss of more than Rs 250 cr to the exchequer. This must get be probed," said an official of Forest department (name withheld).
Affected people and farmers in many villages allege that majority of the affected are not paid compensation at all while as their land has been turned useless whose commercial value is at stake now.
The Northern Region System Strengthening Scheme-29 (NRSS XXIX ) is the largest private sector transmission project awarded in the country till date. The project is critical for meeting the power requirements of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The existing transmission corridor passes through the Pir Panjal region, which is prone to landslides, resulting in the snapping of transmission lines and towers. To mitigate these issues, an alternative route has been proposed through the NRSS to ensure that the corridor is not affected by landslides and has 100 per cent uptime.
The project will deliver over 1,000 MW of electricity from Punjab to the Kashmir Valley by strengthening the National Grid. To strengthen the transmission system in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, NRSS-XXIX Transmission Limited will commission three 400 KV Double Circuit transmission lines and one 400/220 KV GIS Substation. Post commissioning, the company would operate and maintain the line for a minimum tenure of 35 years.
The new project would go a long way in upgrading and augmenting the transmission network in the state, besides ensure that power to the tune of 1000 MWs can be imported to the state from the Northern Grid. But due to misappropriation of funds by some employees of company the people are ultimate sufferers which is bringing bad name to this company.
Sources say that lot of bungling has happened in Kellar, Kandajan, Watrad, Khansahib, Kachwari Khansahib, Bonen and Kutbal villages of Budgam and Shopian districts. Compensation has been paid to such people whose land was not at all acquired and those people whose land has been acquired are still waiting for the compensation, said sources.
"We appeal Governor Malik Sahib to order a probe. Officers of Forest, Revenue, Horticulture and the private transmission company employees plus local politicians in Budgam have embezzled crores of rupees. We demand that ACB or CBI be directed to probe this whole issue," said Farooq Ahmad, a resident of Surankote in Poonch. |
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