BENGALURU: The transfer of Deputy Conservator of Forest Chandranna from Chikkamagaluru to the Karnataka Forest Development Corporation (KFDC) has been questioned by its Managing Director who has urged the government to cancel the order.
On December 8, Chandranna was shunted out in the background of a raging controversy over encroachments in the Masagali Reserve Forest and the state government dilly-dallying on the issue of illegal revenue grants. The officer who had been fighting major environmental issues in Chikkamagaluru district for the last 11 months, was hastily transferred by the government to Shivamogga as Executive Director (ED), KFDC, allegedly due to pressure from land and timber lobbies.
In a communication to Vanita Sharma Additional Chief Secretary, Forest, Environment and Ecology, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Managing Director of KFDC, Sanjay Mohan has questioned the Chandranna’s transfer and requested that the order should be cancelled. He has, in fact, asked the Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) Shivamogga, who presently in-charge ED, not to hand over charge to Chandranna till further orders.
The reasons cited are: Chandranna’s appointment may lead to dispute among the KFDC officers, affecting government work, as he was a junior as per the ‘temporary seniority list’ and there were four officers senior to him. Further, the MD explains that KFDC has its own officers as EDs who headed Pulp and Rubber Wood sections in Mangaluru and Shivamogga. “Both the EDs head four divisions each and for the purpose of extensive plantation work and proper documentation. Efficient officers as EDs were needed from the Indian Forest Service (IFS) cadre, so his appointment should be cancelled by the government,” he added.
Countering this, Chandranna said, “This is a continuing conflict between State Forest Service (SFS) and IFS. In the post of DCF, I am the senior-most while the said officers are all junior to me as per the seniority list. In fact, this issue is pending in the Supreme Court and the state government has not accepted the temporary seniority list so far. In addition, I am on the IFS panel.”
Masagali illegal grants
The ongoing work on the demarcation of the 52 km boundary of Masagali Reserve Forest (to meet the Supreme Court deadline) has taken a severe beating. A senior forest official told Express that the boundary demarcation had been reduced from 52 to 18 km on flimsy reasons like the area was rocky and sloping, only to benefit the encroachers.
He added, “The demarcation work has suffered so much that now they won’t be demarcating the D-Line as per C-statement near the illegal revenue grant areas.”Criticising the move to reduce boundary, D V Girish, Bhadra Wildlife Conservation Trust, said, “The state should follow the Supreme Court orders in toto and not give flimsy excuses. The former DCF has put on record 700 acres of illegal revenue grants. Now, to pander to various lobbies, they cannot reduce or fall short on the apex court’s orders on clearance of Masagali encroachments. Hence, they have to demarcate the 52km before December end, which is the deadline.”