BHUBANESWAR: Odisha government has decided to put in place three anti-corruption squads within the Forest, Environment and Climate Change department to check irregularities and bring transparency in its functioning.
Following the Kerala model of internal vigilance, it will form the flying squads to function under direct supervision of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) and Head of Forest Force (HoFF).
Sources said, the Abhay Kant Pathak episode prompted the government to set up the model. An IFS officer, Pathak was arrested last year in a disproportionate assets case after being entangled in a controversy. He was later handed out compulsory retirement.
The squads will inquire into petitions about the irregularities in the department and corruption by any employee or officer. “The purpose of forming these squads is to bring in more transparency and accountability to department’s functioning at different levels, as promoted under the 5T initiative,”said PCCF and HoFF Sisir Kumar Ratho.
The flying squads will be headquartered at Cuttack, Berhampur and Sambalpur. However, to ensure transparency, the government has given the jurisdiction of entire State to each of these squads. Each squad will have 11 members to be headed by an ACF rank officer. Besides, there will be a CCF and a DCF rank officer at State forest headquarters to coordinate with these squads. The government has sanctioned 47 posts for formation of these squads.
The PCCF said, appointments of the squad members will be done on a selection basis with proper training and orientation for which the Forest department will also take help of the Vigilance Directorate. Since the squads formed by the Kerala forest department have a good track record and the Kerala High Court also used them for independent inquiry, the State forest department has taken a number of inputs and suggestions from them.
Apart from probing irregularities and corruption practices committed by any department official, the flying squads will inquire into complaints related to implementation of forest works under different schemes and forest laws.
They will evaluate forestry works of all wings in the field, monitor the work system and practices in the Forest department and suggest improvements including amendment to rules, guidelines and procedures. They will also gather intelligence related to forest and wildlife offences and help officials concerned in taking remedial measures.