GUJRAT, May 4: After cancelling the auction of trees for the second time on April 17 on the pretext of high reserve rate, the district forest department officials have approached the provincial conservator in a bid to decrease the rate, it is learnt on Thursday.

Sources told this correspondent that EDO (Agriculture) Shahid Rasheed Awan had informed conservator Ajmal Syed on telephone about cancellation of auction of trees on March 17 and April 17 with the claim that the contractors showed lack of interest for such a high rate.

They quoted the EDO as informing the conservator that the lots carried dried and cheap trees and, therefore, no contractor was interested in bidding owing to disproportionately high rates. The EDO, they said, requested the conservator to decrease the reserve rate.

They quoted the conservator as replying to the EDO to send him fresh proposals and reason for cancellation of auction twice in black and white before the May 17 auction and he would review the proposal strictly in accordance with regulations.

EDO Awan and District Officer (Forest) Moazzam Saeed are allegedly involved in corruption and other wrongdoings, including permanent discouraging of the reserve rate.

The district government had in March last asked the EDO to make arrangements for the auction of 27 lots of trees. The officials and their favourite contractors, according to sources, chalked out a plan to earn some bucks fast. The EDO had sent a proposal of Rs160 per cubic feet reserve rate to the provincial conservator but the provincial authorities set Rs250 per cft for the March 17 auction.

Sources said a contractor got a lot against Rs333 per cft and the two officials obliged one of their favourite contractors by giving him a lot against Rs251 per cft. Failing to carry out the nefarious design, they cancelled the auction of the remaining 25 lots on the pretext that no other contractor was interested in bidding due to such a high reserve rate.

Earlier in January, the district government had asked the EDO to make arrangements for the auction of trees. They said EDO Awan and DO Saeed made around 25 lots of trees and a committee sent proposals seeking the official reserve rate of lots.

The committee members kept the provincial high-ups in the dark while sending proposals for the reserve rate. This malpractice resulted in issuance of a nominal reserve rate by the higher authorities for costly lots. Both the officials pocketed hundreds of thousands of rupees out of the deal, sources said. Later, the auction was cancelled.

When contacted on telephone, DO (Forest) Moazzam Saeed claimed that no contractor took any lot of trees on April 17. He denied the allegations of discouraging the reserve rate.

It is pertinent to note that the auction of trees would now held on May 17.

Conservator Ajmal Syed told Dawn that the EDO had sent a proposal of Rs160 but he set Rs250 as reserve rate after a survey of the district. He said he had not received any fresh proposal from the EDO for the reserve rate.