Illegal construction in Corbett Tiger Reserve, top IFS officers suspended

Two senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers have been suspended and one has been transferred in connection with the illegal felling of trees and constructions in the Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand.

Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest Jhabar Singh Suhag and former divisional forest officer (DFO) Kishan Chand have been suspended with immediate effect while the reserve's director, Rahul, has been transferred to the office of Uttarakhand's Head of Forest Force, Principal Secretary, Forest R K Sudhanshu said in separate orders on Wednesday.

Suhag has also been indicted for not submitting a statement of accounts of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), as its CEO, to the Head of Forest Force.

Action against the officials is understood to have been sped up to avoid scrutiny as the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) looking into the matter is scheduled to meet in Delhi on Thursday.

A National Tiger Conservation Authority team had, during a field visit, found illegal constructions and felling of trees in the core area of the tiger reserve, in violation of rules and allegedly with the connivance of forest department officials.

State Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal said appropriate action may soon be taken against some more forest officials in connection with the irregularities in the Corbett Tiger Reserve.

"No forest department employee should feel that they can commit an irregularity and get away with it," Uniyal said.