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SUKKUR, April 13: The National Accountability Bureau has initiated an enquiry against 17 officials of Sindh forest department, including its secretary and three conservators, for their alleged involvement in corruption, mismanagement, irregularities and misuse of powers, it was learnt here reliably.
According to sources, the enquiry was initiated on the complaint of a retired employee of the department, Shahid Hussain Ghumro, who had sent a detailed report with proofs of the corruption to President Gen Pervaiz Musharraf and NAB chairman.
The NAB authorities summoned the forest officials in Karachi and asked them to appear before them with relevant documents regarding the alleged corruption, sources said.
The NAB is conducting enquiry into unauthorized cutting of forest trees standing over 5,000 acres of land in Sukkur district despite the ban on tree felling to protect environment.
According to the complaint this action resulted in the loss of Rs80 million to the national exchequer.
The secretary, forest department, Sindh, Shamsul Haq Memon, chief conservator of forests, Ghulam Mustufa Shaikh, conservators, Mehboob Alam Ansari and Mohammad Umar Mamon, divisional forest officer, Riaz Ahmed Waggan, were allegedly involved in the scandal, the complainant said adding that a former forest officer, Afzal Haq Arain, had approved cutting of trees on 5,873 acres while the ban was imposed on the auction of forest trees.
The complainant has alleged that the forest authorities had been involved in cutting of trees in other areas also.
Sources claimed that the Sindh government had also received complaint about the alleged involvement of some senior officials of the forest department in tree felling but the government avoided taking the matter seriously and tried to hush up the matter.
SCHOOL OPENED: Sukkur District Nazim Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has said that his district government is trying its best to provide better education facilities to the people of the rural as well as urban areas.
He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the newly constructed building of Government Boys’ Primary School, Miranpur Sidki, Pano Aqil taluka.
He also distributed free text books among the school students.
The EDO, works and services, informed the Nazim that two-room school building had been completed at a cost of Rs900,000 under the scheme of providing buildings to shelterless primary schools in rural areas of Sindh.
Mr shah also inaugurated the construction work of Sangi-Tharechani-Jamia Masjid road.
He also visited Pano Aqil and inaugurated construction work of two roads, one from Jamia Masjid to Gharibabad and the other from Eidgah to Pirwah.
He also performed foundation stone laying ceremony of Government Boys Primary School, Station Mohalla, Pano Aqil. A five-roomed school building is being constructed at a cost of Rs1.3 million under the scheme of providing buildings to shelterless schools.
