DVAC digs up scam in JICA-funded tree planting in TN

CHENNAI: At least 10 serving and retired forest department officials are in the dock, as Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has unearthed a scam in a tree planting scheme during J Jayalalithaa’s chief ministership.

The case pertains to Tamil Nadu Bio-diversity Conservation Greening Project implemented by forest department with assistance from Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) from 2011 to 2019. Funds were released annually from Rs 686.28 crore corpus for tree cultivation in private land by raising short and long rotation plant species. While Rs 11.95 per plant is given for raising a nursery, Rs 19.80 is given for planting a sapling.

DVAC last week slapped cheating, forgery and corruption cases on nine forest department officials and one contractor for swindling Rs 22 lakh meant for planting trees in Coimbatore and Krishnagiri districts.

In Coimbatore, the government had planned plantation of 1.7 lakh seedlings with the help of 286 farmers from 16 cluster villages. A sum of Rs 33.66 lakh was allocated for this. The accused, K Sekar, forestry expansion officer, V A Murugesan, a retired ranger who was reappointed on contract basis, and D Ganesan, the contractor, had allegedly prepared 12 vouchers to show that these 1.7 lakh seedlings had been sent to beneficiaries’ land through vehicles and planted on that land, DVAC said.

Records, including vouchers, were falsified and Rs 10.77 lakh was released to Ganesan to show that work had been done in planting 55,000 seedlings in fields at Pichanur village cluster, DVAC said. In Krishnagiri, the government had planned to cultivate 15,000 teak, 1.05 lakh silver oak, 12,500 of malai vembu saplings, 2,500 kumil saplings, and 5,000 rosewood saplings in three clusters in 2014-15.

DVAC said nine forest officials conspired to swindle Rs 11.03 lakh by showing fictitious payment for digging pits and transporting saplings. The accused are forest rangers K Nagesh (Krishnagiri) and G Vimalanathan (Uthangarai), forester of Rayakottai range Panneerselvam, forester Krishnagiri Annadurai, forester Hosur D Vezhavendhan, retired forester of Kelamangalam M Perumal, forester Krishnagiri M Ramakrishnan, former Hosur ranger P Mohankumar and Hosur ranger V Nagarajan.