The State Vigilance Commission (SVC) has summoned the Principal Chief Conservator of forests in connection with the alleged smuggling and damage caused to forests by certain people in connivance with officials of the forest department in Jammu and Kashmir.

Based on specific information regarding damage inflicted on forests in the South Circle Range, Bijbehara (Anantnag district), SVC received inquiry reports earlier prepared by the Range Officer, South Circle, Bijbehara, and the Technical Officer concerned yesterday, an SVC official said.

The report prima facie found that officials of the Forest Division concerned, forester, deputy forester, block officer, forest guard and others, have misused their official position by indulging in corrupt practices, by not only abetting the offence of smuggling but also themselves selling the timber entrusted to their custody to some private saw mills and contractors after taking illegal gratification, he said.

The SVC has sought action-taken report from the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests in light of the order issued by the Conservator Forests, South Circle Range, Bijbehara, on July 23, 2008, in this regard, he said.

The Principal Chief Conservator of forests submitted the action-taken report along with some other records through his Law Officer, the official said.

The report spoke of "half-baked stories" that left "many questions unanswered", particularly the reasons for not making recoveries, not registering FIR and not taking administrative action and making adverse entries in the service records of the officials involved as was recommended by the Conservator Forests, South Circle Range, Bijbehara in his order of July 2008, he said.

Taking serious note of the apparent sheltering of the accused by higher authorities of the forest department and failure in initiating departmental action and other proceedings against delinquent forest officials, the SVC said it summons the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests to explain his report and record submitted thereto on the next date of hearing. PTI