The Hindu : CAG pulls up forest department

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 03, 2004

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Other States - Himachal Pradesh

CAG pulls up forest department

By Our Staff Correspondent

SHIMLA, MARCH 2. The Comptroller and Auditor General Report for the year ending March31, 2003 has pointed out massive discrepancies in the non-recoveries, short recoveries and other losses of revenue to the Department of Forests in the State. Irregularities were detected in 151 cases and the department incurred a loss of Rs. 25.19 crore due to non-recoveries under various heads.

According to the CAG, during audit it was noticed that though the State Government had issued instructions that export permit fee should not be levied on intra- State transport of Khair wood, no such amendment was made in the notification. The Divisional Forest Officers of 11 divisions issued passes for intra-State export of 2,08,629.45 quintals of Khair wood without levying export permit fee. This resulted in non-realisation of export fee of Rs. 4.39 crore. All the cases were reported to the Government but no reply was received, say the CAG.

The report says that six divisional offices of the department could not hand over 29 lots of 8997 trees containing 23,042.783 cubic meters standing volume of timber for sale. The delay resulted in a loss of Rs. 1.14 crore.

A loss of Rs. 97.23 lakh was reported to the Government because of non-tapping of resin blazes. The failure of the department to take timely action resulted in the loss of revenue to the tune of Rs. 54.92 lakh, including sales tax on account of the cost of timber not seized by it.

The CAG report further says that due to delayed sales of extracted bamboo and due to less- yield of bamboos had led to a shortfall in revenue to the tune of Rs. 9.17 lakh. The department also failed to recover Rs. 84.12 lakh from the State Electricity Board for supplying them 11,425 electric poles of deodar trees.

The timber, which was getting rotten, was not auctioned timely and there was a loss of Rs. 21.29 lakh to the Government, the report says.

The State also incurred losses, according to the report, due too non-recovery of royalty, sales tax and penalty, incorrect application of export permit fee, less extraction of timber, illicit felling of trees, non-recovery of launching fee, non-levy of interest and un-authorised marking of trees in timber distribution to the genuine right holders.

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