TURA: Forest workers in the muster roll category have lodged a complaint with the office of the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests alleging that outsiders are being used by forest officials in Garo Hills to man a forest check gate.
The forest workers claim that outsiders donning khaki uniforms of the forest department were allegedly operating the Tangaon check gate in Pipulbari and this could not have been possible without the authorisation of senior forest officials.
They do not rule out the involvement of some officials with those operating the illegal stone quarries that have mushroomed in the area of the Tangaon forest check gate.Photographs of the DFO along with some of the impersonating forest staff in official uniform outside a stone quarry have also been circulated by the forest workers to substantiate their claims.
The Tangaon check gate falls under the Tura Beat of West, South and South West Garo Hills (Territorial) Division and the forest workers have questioned the inaction by the current DFO and the ACF.
Meanwhile, Tura politician Bernard Marak has taken up the case of the forest workers and filed a complaint at Tura police station over the impersonation as forest staff by two individuals at Tangaon gate.
In his FIR he has named the DFO Sachin Gavade accusing him of misusing his authority and allowing the impersonators to go scot free.
