Residents of Yesalur in Sakleshpur taluk have charged the officials of the Forest Department with misappropriation of funds meant for spreading awareness against poaching and driving away wild animals such as elephants that stray into human habitats. The officials had claimed funds by creating false receipts in fictitious names, the residents of the village alleged.
H.D. Ganesh, president of Bisale Village Forest Committee, told presspersons here on Tuesday that he had obtained documentary evidences related to the Forest Department under the Right to Information Act to show misappropriation. The documents collected by him showed that the department had paid Rs. 32,120 to four farm workers in the hobli for working in a team that had been formed to curb poaching in the Bisalle forest limits. “One of the workers, in whose name money had been drawn, was working at Mangaluru as a driver. There is no chance of him coming to Bisale and working in the department there. Similarly, another bill had been created for Rs. 32,120 for another activity at Balehalla village. Interestingly, names mentioned in that bill as to have worked for some scheme were from Kadagaravalli, which is about 40 km from Balehalla. There was no chance of Kadagaravalli people working at Balehalla,” he charged.
Further, the officials had created records to show that they Rs. 1,99,963 had been spent on the construction of a make-shift shed at Bisale for the workers hired for executing forest conservation activities. “Even a layman can imagine that the officials had not spent more than Rs. 30,000 on the construction of the shed that consists of two walls and a cement sheet,” he alleged. Mr. Gnash furnished these details to senior officials of the department and demanded an enquiry into the transactions.
Supporting documents said to have been secured under Right to Information Act
One of the records show payment of Rs. 32,120 to four farm workers involved in drive against poaching in Bisale forest limits
Another bill had been raised for a similar sum for a different work purportedly undertaken at Balehalla village
