The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB), which investigated the felling of trees worth several lakhs of rupees on the Kasaragod General Hospital premises, has found serious irregularities on the part of the Kasaragod Municipality and administrative officials.
The team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (Vigilance) K.V. Venugopal probed the incident following reports that as many as eight trees, including teakwood, had been felled and shifted from the premises.
Mr. Venugopal told The Hindu that the investigation had found massive irregularities by the municipality and the officials concerned. The police have registered a case of tree theft, he added.
The municipality had decided to widen the road linking the Old Bus Stand with Nayak Road behind the hospital at an estimated cost of ₹36 lakh. Initially, the plan was to construct a two-lane stretch, for which removal of trees was necessary. The civic body later revised the plan and decided to maintain it as a one-way stretch. Interestingly, it did not drop the plan to remove the trees.
Subsequently, the municipality and the tree committee decided to fell the trees and called for a quotation. The probe found that the process was taken up without proper advertisements.
The probe team reportedly found that three quotations, which were accepted by the municipality in the name of Shihabuddin, Ganeshan, and Iqbal, were submitted by one person.
Moreover, there were no officials seals. The probe team suspects that the quotation was not properly accounted, and that it might have been given to officials. The Vigilance team further found that the quotation was only for cutting the trees and not to shift them from the premises. However, even before the tender process was completed, the trees were cut and shifted. A member of the probe team said that the municipality had no knowledge as to where the felled trees had been shifted.
Felling of teak requires prior permission from the Forest department. However, no such permission was taken. Hence, it is a clear case of theft, the probe team said.
It was also found that no steps were taken by officials, municipality, and the hospital superintendent to prevent felling of trees, which caused huge losses to the exchequer, a Vigilance officer said.
It was also found that no steps were taken by officials, municipality, and the hospital superintendent to prevent felling of trees, which caused huge losses to the exchequer, a Vigilance officer said.
