Ex-official held in C'garh for 'illegal' felling of trees

The Chhattisgarh forest

department has arrested a former official of the joint venture of NMDC and CMDC for alleged illegal felling of trees in a forest area for the proposed mining at Bailadila iron ore in Dantewada district early last year, officials said on Friday.

V S Prabhakar, former CEO of NCL, a joint venture of National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) and Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation (CMDC), was arrested on Thursday, a forest official said here.

Prabhakar, who is currently the Executive Director at Hyderabad-based office of NMDC, was granted bail by a district court, he said.

According to officials, a 10 MTPA-capacity Bailadila Iron Ore Deposit-13 is being developed by NCL.

 

A contract for excavation and mine development was awarded to Adani Enterprises Ltd in 2018 when the BJP was in power in Chhattisgarh, they said.

"Investigation into the alleged deforestation in this area that took place early last year, revealed that Prabahakar, the then CEO of NCL, allegedly issued tender for pruning of trees in an unauthorised manner," the official said.

The NCL had sought permission for felling of trees for approach road to the mining site and the forest department's head office in Raipur had granted permission for cutting of 25,400 trees in the area, which was to be carried out as per the rules, he said.

"However, Prabhakar himself allegedly issued a tender in newspapers for carrying out deforestation of forest land and handed over the task to one private contractor, B K Lala, in January last year," he said.

Total 582 trees were allegedly chopped off in this area, due to which caused a loss of Rs 4,57,830 tothe department, the official said.

In May last year, a case was registered under sections of the Indian Forest Act 1927, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act 1984, Wildlife Protection Act 1972 in this connection and a probe was launched, he said.

"On Thursday, Prabhakar, who had come to record his statement in Dantewada, was arrested and produced in a local court. He was later granted bail," the official said.

When asked about the issue, an NMDC official claimed that the tree felling was carried out in compliance with the instructions of the forest department.

"After getting the forest and environment clearance for the project, tree felling permission was sought from local forest authority in 2018. The permission was later granted by forest head office in Raipur to then local DFO. Despite after a year of permission, they did not take up tree felling," he said.

"When we approached then DFO requesting him to take up the task, he cited Maoist activities as reason for the delay," he said.

In June last year, the Chhattisgarh government had halted all works related to proposed iron ore mining at Deposit-13 in Bailadila hill range, around 450km from state capital Raipur, amid protest by tribals against excavation.