Pong Dam Wildlife Sanctuary: Cong, BJP allege Dehra MLA flouted norms to construct road up to his property

An independent legislator from the Dehra assembly segment of Kangra was roundly criticised by the BJP and Congress after the forest department built a concrete road leading to his private property near the Pong Dam Wildlife Sanctuary.

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It was alleged that the MLA, Hoshyar Singh, had pressed the forest department to circumvent the rules. The Dehra block units of both the ruling BJP and opposing Congress have demanded an inquiry against the forest officials who allegedly bent the rules to oblige the MLA.

The area where the road has been built falls under the jurisdiction of the Pong Dam Wildlife Sanctuary where all construction must be authorised by officials.

Dehra Congress block unit president Hari Om Sharma alleged that while the hundreds of villages were without roads and other basic facilities due to the rules, the forest department was obliging politically influential people.

Meanwhile, the ruling BJP also sought an inquiry into the matter. BJP’s Dehra block president Nirmal Singh demanded strict action against the erring officials who gave go-ahead for constructing the road.

The issue was first raised two days ago by one Jasbir Singh Guleria, member of panchayat Samiti from Kharian of Dehra constituency.

He alleged that while hundreds of villages in the sanctuary area were lacking roads, the forest department had favoured the MLA by constructing a road to his private property. He alleged that the road was constructed without obtaining a no-objection certificate.

Guleria also alleged he had recently asked the electricity board to install four poles for lifting a low-hanging power line but it was rejected for want of an NOC from the forest department and the wildlife wing.

“The electricity board has erected over a dozen poles on the private land of the legislators,” said Guleria.

The wildlife department says it did not give an NOC for building a road in Kharian village. Hamirpur divisional forest officer Rahul Rahane under whose jurisdiction the Pong Dam wildlife sanctuary area falls, said they would check if the road indeed fell in the sanctuary’s jurisdiction and whether any norms were violated while constructing the stretch.

DFO Dehra Raj Dogra said a 150m road was constructed in the area to connect the local cremation ground.

Legislator Hoshyar Singh said the allegations against him were baseless. “The road constructed by the forest department exists in the revenue papers since 1965 and does not connect only my property but the entire village.”