Lopped trees earn Forest dept Rs 1.5 cr; activist questions figure

SHILLONG, Oct 25: The Forest department earned Rs 1.5 crore by selling the trees lopped off from Umshyrpi to Hynniew Mer, Upper Shillong, for a four-lane project.
Disclosing this, RTI activist Disparsing Rani told journalists on Tuesday the amount earned should have been more since the cost of the trees per cubic metre would be not less than Rs 2,000.
“We know the trees along this road are of high quality. But I am surprised by the claim of the department of collecting only Rs 1.5 crore,” Rani said.
Meanwhile, the activist claimed there is a serious defect in the promotion of officers in the Fire and Emergency Services, Shillong.
He said the information he received on September 27 revealed junior officers superseded senior officers during promotion, which, he said, was highly questionable.
“In the RTI information, it was claimed that the station officer and sub-officer, who were promoted from Leading Fireman, was based on seniority-cum-merit. But I am not satisfied with the justification after comparing it to the date of enlistment/joining report,” the activist said.