Uttarakhand to probe alleged financial irregularities in Rajaji Tiger Reserve

In April 2015, Rajaji was declared as a tiger reserve, becoming the second tiger reserve in Uttarakhand after Corbett Tiger Reserve.

Published on: Oct 26, 2020, 18:01:35 IST

Hindustan Times, Dehradun | By Neeraj Santoshi

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The Uttarakhand forest department has instituted an inquiry into alleged financial irregularities in the Rajaji Tiger Reserve (RTR) during last five years.

A pair of tigers inside forest at Gohri Range of Rajaji Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand. (HT FILE PHOTO)

Jai Raj, principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) Uttarakhand forest department said on Sunday that he has ordered an inquiry into the allegations of financial irregularities in Rajaji Tiger reserve during the last five years.

“I have ordered the constitution of a four-member probe committee in this regard which will submit its report within two months”, he said. HT has a copy of the order issued on Friday (October 23).

It says the inquiry has been ordered following complaints in 2018 by three men involved with wildlife issues - Dinesh Chandra Pandey, Rajeev Mehta and Aditya Sharma. An earlier probe had found irregularities in the Motichur range of RTR. The report in the matter was submitted in March 2019 which stated that there were financial irregularities in the range, especially with regard to approving receipts without scrutiny, removal of Lantana grass, food receipts of patrolling staff and so on.

According to the PCCF’s order, when range officers/forest officials were asked about the irregularities in Motichur range, they said such things were happening in other ranges of RTR also. This makes it clear that financial irregularities have been committed in RTR on a big level, the order states.

The four-member probe committee constituted by PCCF includes additional PCCF (administration), chief conservator of forests (personnel), financial controller state forest department and honorary warden RTR.

RTR spread over 820 sq km in three districts of Uttarakhand- Haridwar, Dehradun and Pauri Garhwal, was established in 1983. In April 2015, Rajaji was declared as a tiger reserve, becoming the second tiger reserve in the state after Corbett Tiger Reserve.

RTR is home to 23 species of mammals and over 300 species of birds. It has 38 tigers while the whole Rajaji landscape has 52 tigers, as per the latest All India Tiger Estimation Report.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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