KHANEWAL, Aug 28: District Forest Department officials have allegedly committed a number of irregularities and embezzled millions from 2003 to 2005, Dawn has learnt.
The Multan Anti-Corruption Establishment registered on Oct 3, 2006, a case against six forest officials, including former district officer (forest) Rao Muhammad Ilyas and block officer Muhammad Ahmad. Its last hearing was held on Aug 24, 2007.
A report by the Multan Regional Audit Office dated Nov 28, 2006, states that 117 auctions of dry trees worth Rs13.57 million by the forest department were flawed. Officials withdrew Rs3.2 million to pay wages to fictitious private labourers for various jobs while office orders and statements by gardeners showed that the official manpower had been used.
The reports states the officials showed a loss of 78 trees worth Rs800,000 in the record but the department did not launch any inquiry into the matter.
The department paid Rs814,084 for land levelling and ploughing to private tractor owners despite the department had its own official machinery.
The officials withdrew Rs706,860 to buy saplings from private nurseries but nursery owners denied any such deal.
Muhammad Ahmad, block officer, allowed a contractor to cut the auctioned trees without recovering the price of trees and sales tax from him. But the department did not take any action against him.
The district forest officer tampered with the official record and embezzled Rs580,000.
The officials misappropriated Rs457,042 through roadside tree plantations, Rs429,000 purchase of agriculture tools, Rs403,974 purchase of plants, Rs368,5000 expenditure of plantation in Rakh Dangra, Rs313,326 general sales tax not recovered from contactors, Rs300,000 pilferage of forest wood by contractors, Rs238,285 plantation and re-auction of trees to one contractor on lower rates, Rs223,653 non-deduction of income tax on services rendered by various contractors, Rs161,785 fuel charges and Rs113,870 travelling and daily allowances.
The report says that during the audit only a watchman was present in the office while the district officer attended the office occasionally. The officials did not cooperate with the auditor regarding provision of records and relevant information. The auditor informed the district nazim and the district coordination officer about the non-cooperation of officials but all in vain.
The report said executive district officer (agriculture) Muhammad Saleem Nihang and Mr Rao had allegedly sold wood to their favourite contractors.
A forest official on the condition of anonymity said the EDO and the block officer had burnt the old record, adding they had prepared new record without the approval of the DCO or any other senior official from the forest department.
In the new record, a number of district council’s trees had not been mentioned, he said. He said the new record showed 1,932 trees on either sides of Khanewal-Mianpakhi Road in Mianchannu while the old record showed 2,594 trees on the road. He also said that besides ACE case, another inquiry ordered by the DCO into various irregularities by the forest officials was also in progress.
Khanewal EDO (agriculture) Nihang said a forest clerk and Masoom Ali were propagating allegations among the public against the forest officials unnecessarily.
“The clerk was involved in stealing trees on which Rana Ahmad took action against him,” he said. Mr Nihang denied that the old record had been burnt.
Rao Ilyas who has been retired, could not be contacted for comments. DCO Shakeel Ahmad said an inquiry was going on against the forest department officials and he had deputed an officer to look into the matter.
