State orders probe into forest scam

Aman Sood

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Tribune News Service

Patiala, February 23

The state government has ordered an investigation into the role of senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers posted in supplying wood to Uttar Pradesh ahead of the Kumbh Mela in January 2019.

The Punjab State Forest Development Corporation Limited (PSFDC) had, in 2018, supplied sal sleepers (sal wood) worth Rs118-crore to the Uttar Pradesh Public Works Department (PWD).

In 2018, a BJP leader based in Uttar Pradesh had pointed this out in a complaint to the CBI. Subsequently, the CBI Joint Director forwarded the complaint to the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) for an investigation.

The complainant had accused two senior officers posted in Punjab and some others of pocketing crores of rupees while supplying the wood.

Sources say VB officers had probed the matter then, but no action was taken. The complainant, however, again wrote a letter — this time to the Prime Minister’s office in December 2019 — alleging that the matter was being kept in a limbo.

As per the complainant, sal wood sleepers were required for the “construction of ghats and temporary bridges” ahead of the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, UP.

“The Executive Engineer, PWD, UP, had placed an order with the PSFDC Limited for 1,000 cubic metres of sal. Subsequently, the PSFDC Limited had invited tenders for the supply of sal sleepers. The qualifying requirements were tailor made to favour certain parties,” reads the 2018 letter, a copy of which is with The Tribune.

“The earnest money deposit (EMD) as per the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) guidelines should be two to five per cent of the estimated value of a tender. In this case, the EMD was kept at Rs4 lakh. Therefore, the estimated value of a tender should not have been more than Rs2 crore. But the tender value exceeded Rs100 crore,” reads the letter.

The complainant also claimed the tender had listed 11 items, for which two parties had quoted the same rates while two other parties had quoted rates with a nominal difference of Rs7 and Rs5, indicating a case of cartel formation.

“Without following the CVC guidelines, the order was placed at the same rates to four parties in the first week of August 2018. This implies that negotiations were held with other bidders. This was against the CVC directives as no negotiations could be held after the tender is issued,” the letter states.

Forests Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot told The Tribune, “A probe has been marked and anyone found guilty will not be spared. Once the inquiry report is submitted to the government, strict action will be taken. The matter is serious and needs a thorough investigation.”

Tender value exceeded Rs 100 cr

• Sal wood was required for the construction of ghats and temporary bridges ahead of Kumbh Mela in January 2019
• The PWD, UP, had placed an order with Punjab State Forest Development Corporation Limited (PSFDC) for 1,000 cubic metres of sal
• Subsequently, the PSFDC invited tenders; qualifying requirements were tailor-made to favour certain parties, a complainant has alleged
• The estimated value of a tender should not have been more than Rs2 crore, but it exceeded Rs100 crore