Goemkarponn Desk
CANAOCNA: Swabhimani Jagrut Canconkar’s (SJC) after visiting the Carpentry Common Facility – cum- Production Centre the centre of raging controversy of illegal trees cutting and processing against the MLA of Canacona, later cornered and qrilled the Canacona Range Forest Officer on Friday.
The respected and alert citizens of Canacona brought to the not5ice of the Forest Officer, the the documents submitted were all fake and manipulated, and the forest officer assured that appropriated action against this will be taken and the one’s accountable for this will be held responsible for suc hfradulant act.
This is a new form of scam and we call it ‘Wood Kandh’ by the mighty, stated a member of the SJC.
Surprisingly, RFO Anand mestri during his questioning informed 9.91 cubic metres of wood (IIIrd class) has been transported from Mone(Khotigao) to the carpentry Unit at Idhar-Loliem even before completing the auction (held on 19.04.2023) formalities.
‘After I learnt that the woode-Logs were transported before completion of all formalities, I had stopped the Carptentry Unit from processing of these logs, and only after the money is paid and receipt is taken on 24-04-2023, the processing of the logs to timber had begun at the carpentry unit’.
The members clearly told the forest officer that further shifting of processed wood from Carptentry should be stopped forthwith, and an enquiry should be conducted as to the source of all the wooden logs brought in 5-truckloads at the Carpentry Unit, why the forest officials acted on illegal directions of the Canacona MLA, the involvement of forest officers in the entire illegality and who are the end beneficiaries.
SJC sought to verify the auction procedure carried out by the forest office, and pointed out several loopholes and anomalies in its implementation.
Incidentally, when the RFO informed that in 1 truck approximately 4.5 Cubic metre of wood can be transported at a time, the 9.91 cubic metre consisting of approximately 17 logs auctioned for Rs.38500/- were transported in two trucks.
When SJC asked about the presence of more than 2 trucks of wood, precisely 5 truckloads as informed by incharge of Carpentery Unit, the RFO informed the other logs could be of different party.
Not satisfied with the reply, the alert members of SJC invited the RFO for joint inspection of the processed and non-processed wood logs still present and available available at the carpentery unit.
While a number of alert members of SJC accompanied Shantaji Naikgaunkar, Sandeesh Telekar, Prashant Naik, Jack Fernandes, Dhiraj Kankonkar, Pandurang Naik Gaunkjar, Vaishnav Pednekar, Gaspar Coutinho were a few who questioned and sought clarification from the RFO.-
