By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 2 Sep: Former Cabinet Minister Harak Singh Rawat, who was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a case related to construction of a Tiger Safari in Pakhro range of Corbett Tiger Reserve for the second time, reached the ED Office here and was questioned for several hours today. Earlier, he has also been questioned by CBI with regard to illegal construction and illegal felling of trees in Pakhro Range.
Rawat reached the ED office in Dehradun after being summoned for the second time for questioning. Some sources claimed that Rawat, apart from being questioned regarding construction of Tiger Safari without due clearances and illegal felling of trees, was also asked questions regarding some known and unknown sources of his income and assets. Rawat was earlier also questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on 14 August. The CBI has been handed over the investigation of this case. During the questioning, Harak Singh Rawat reportedly handed over certain copies of documents allegedly pertaining to the scam, more specifically regarding posting of certain forest officers related to the case.
This morning, when Rawat reached the ED office, his supporters also gathered outside the ED office to protest against his questioning and to lend their support to him. Rawat had lashed out against the government recently on various issues and then claimed that his stand against the government is the reason why he is being questioned. Harak Singh has cited this protest as the reason behind the questioning.
During the CBI interrogation, Rawat had not only provided copies of certain documents allegedly pertaining to the scam but also accused the government and certain high-ranking officials of a political conspiracy against him. Rawat has also been claiming that he has nothing to do with the illegal activities at Pakhro Range, while adding that the decision to establish a Tiger Safari had been taken in the greater interest of the state and the local people.
The issue had created a lot of noise in political circles when the plan to establish Tiger Safari at Pakhro Range ran into controversies. The plan was first announced in 2019 when Rawat was the Forest Minister. For this, permission was given to fell 163 trees in an area of 106 hectares of the area under Corbett, which falls close to Kalagarh Reserve. However, it is alleged that instead of felling only 163 trees, in all 6093 trees were felled without any permission. Once this news hit the headlines, a major controversy had arisen. The officers concerned are also stated to have begun illegal construction of a building for the Safari. Once these developments hit the national headlines, an internal inquiry was launched by the Forest Department and the KS Joshi Committee was also set up. Some officers as senior as Chief Wildife Warden JS Suhag, DFO Kishan Chand and others were named in the report. Even the then PCCF Rajiv Bhartari had to go, who was reinstated by the HC, but was transferred soon. The PCCF and interim HoFF Vinod Kumar (Singhal) was made the HoFF. In this case, Rawat has also faced the vigilance, the CBI and now the ED.
Sources claim that the ED is looking for the possibility of financial transactions. Many officers have gone to jail in this case, while many others are still under investigation. On the other hand, from Vigilance to Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee and many other agencies have also investigated this case. Now ED and CBI claim to be making rapid progress in the investigation, but Rawat has been claiming that he is being targeted for pollical reasons.
