Editor,
Apropos the news item “Sohra Eco restoration face fire threats “(ST Oct 23 2012), I am of the opinion that the concern of the Minister Soil and Water Conservation Department of the threat of fire to the new tree plantation in Sohra is really genuine . But then this apprehension of fire incidents and his call for public participation to prevent such incidents only after lakhs of tree seedlings have already been planted defies all logic . Its like closing the stable gate after the horses have bolted. Even otherwise, if the plants do survive the fire it would require years and years and the most sincere and dedicated efforts to nurture them in Sohra than elsewhere in order to reach the stage when they can resist all types of natural or man made calamities. It cannot be expected that the officers of the Soil and Water Conservation Department would commit themselves to sincerely and conscientiously nurture the surviving plants after the project period of 6 years is over particularly after the funds are exhausted. Nor do we expect the Barefoot Environment Educators to continue to participate in the process once they cease to be paid. It seems that the officials of the Department simply succumb to external influences while framing such a project by overlooking the experience learnt from the past or maybe the intention to initiate such a project is simply to garner crores of rupees and to hastily spend this amount and indicate progress without seriously considering the expected negative consequences. No doubt the programme is worth a try but it would be prudent to first take it up on a smaller scale in the initial years to ensure its success particularly through public participation and then step it up in the succeeding years. Going by record and testimonies, the Sohra Belt was never covered by large tracts of forest in the past. Therefore it makes no sense to have a project of such a scale in the first instance and simply waste public money .
Yours etc.,
G Rani,
Shillong-14
Absentee officials
Editor,
I would like to draw the attention of the concerned authorities regarding the official who receives papers relating to the mid-day-meal and the accountant who deals with the same work in the Deputy Inspector of Schools, Tura as they are always found to be absent from their work whenever I come to submit and collect the necessary papers. Therefore, I request the concerned authorities to look into the matter so that the teachers will not lose their valuable time and money by having to come and meet them everyday.
Yours etc.,
Name withheld on request
Mawpalai Forest scam
Editor,
The recent report by your newspaper on the Mawpalai Forest scam seems to imply that the whole responsibility and blame should fall on the MLA only, overlooking the fact that he cannot go all the way on his own without the active cooperation nay connivance of functionaries in the government such as the then Minister of the Forest Department, the bureaucrats at the secretariat level as well as those at the helm of affairs in the office of the Head of Department. The explanation that the Forest Department was not aware that the land belonged to the Soil Conservation Department is hollow and deceptive because the press had already reported time and again that this land was transferred by the Soil Conservation Department to the Forest Department after it was decided by the Cabinet many years back which would confirm that it is government land . Surely such an important record could not have been overlooked by the officials or by the Departmental Negotiation Committee constituted for overseeing the scheme. Even otherwise, government ownership of the land would have surely been reasonably established at the time of enquiry and field survey of the area before initiating the proposal. Interestingly, by naming the scheme as, “Acquisition of ecologically important area,” it would also indicate that there is dubious scheming and blatant misleading of facts purposely constructed by the Department officials in order to get the benefit from the acquisition of the land at all costs even though the area where the forest land is located does not really qualify to be an ecologically important area since it is not in the vicinity of any important water reservoir and nor there are any fragile areas close by.
If I am not mistaken, some time back the Comptroller and Accountant General reported on the irregularity of parking of government money by a certain senior Forest Department official in his private bank account during the implementation of the scheme for development of the Syndai Park. Now the present audit report and the records clearly indicate that there is a big scam in this forest land acquisition case also. This therefore calls for a serious enquiry not only on these matters but in all other matters involving environmental clearance by the Forest Department officials for mining and for setting up industries in many areas in the State which is highly suspicious as otherwise these officials cannot be blind to the destruction of our forest and other natural resources because of such activities.
Yours etc.,
Skhembor Laloo,
Via email