Forest Minister Umang Singhar has claimed that there were rampant irregularities in the massive plantation drive carried out just in single day by the Forest Department along the bank of Narmada river during the tenure of previous Government headed by Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Hence, he has decided to handover the probe to Economic Offences Wing (EOW).

Addressing the press conference in State capital, Forest Minister Umang Singhar alleged that gross irregularities and financial scam have come to fore in the plantation work done by Forest Department on July 2, 2017. Claiming that when he tried to dig deep into the entire matter, he was misguided and his department even tried to save the guilty officials. Even the necessary documents regarding meetings done in connection with plantation drive are missing, he claimed.

Trying to pass the heat on former CM, he said “As then Forest Minister and then Chief Minister have misused Government fund and obliged in haste some persons hence he has decided to handover case to EOW for necessary action,” he told.

He said that earlier there was plan to plant 5 crore sapling in single day on July 2, 2017 and later this figure was increased to 7 crore only to get place in Guinness Book of World Record. The saplings were hurriedly purchased from nearby states including Maharashtra. Even the saplings were also purchased at higher rate of Rs 200 and Rs 300. The pits to plant saplings were dug up in haste and even machines were used in this regard.

He claimed that entire scam done in the name of plantation in a single day is around Rs 450 crore.

He asserted that ground level officials were pressurised to carry out plantation drive by roping in necessary human resources and masses. Moreover, neither pits were dug up in satisfactory manner nor the longevity of plants was ensured.

He said that Forest Department planted 3.34 crore saplings. When he crossed checked plantation done in Pathai area of Betul, he found

that against 15,625 saplings, only 11,140 saplings were alive. He also held then nodal officer of plantation drive and then ACS (forest), B K Singh for doing planning in a wrong manner. He told that when he inquired about plantation done by the department, he came to know that 2,96,35,276 saplings were planted on July 2, 2017, and in February 2019, only 1,77,30,655 saplings were alive.