PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
A Right to Information (RTI) query by a concerned citizen not only exposed the folly of the Forest department but also revealed that the Tiger Reserve Foundation of the department was operational only on paper for the past 12 years.
Haridwar resident, Ramesh Chandra Sharma had filed an RTI query in the office of Rajaji Tiger Reserve, Haridwar range officer in which he sought information about a no objection certificate (NOC) given by the department to the Nirmal Panchayati Akhada, Haridwar. He later filed an appeal in the State Information Commission when the required information was not received by him.
Hearing the appeal, the State Information Commissioner Yogesh Bhatt sought a complete report from the Forest department. The official response revealed that the NOC was issued to the Akahada in the year 2013. The NOC mentioned that in lieu of the construction in the vicinity of RTR, the Akhada will create a green belt by planting broad leaved trees and that waterholes will be constructed for the wild animals. It also mandated scientific disposal of the organic and inorganic waste and that the Akhada will deposit a sum of Rs five lakh in the Tiger Foundation of Rajaji Reserve.
In his order, Bhatt observed that the conditions mentioned in the NOC of the Forest department have remained unfulfilled. The green belt was not made, waterholes were not constructed and no money was deposited in the tiger foundation. The construction of a wedding point was also done by the Akhada in violation of the norms.
It also came to light that the foundation was operational only on papers. When the SIC directed the department to enforce the conditions mentioned in the NOC during the course of the hearing in the Information Commission, the Forest department informed that conditions mentioned in the NOC have been fulfilled and the Aakhada has deposited a sum of Rs five lakh in the foundation.
