ED raids premises tied to ex-Uttarakhand Minister HS Rawat in forest scam case
THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK New Delhi, Feb 7: In connection with an alleged forest scam case connected to former Uttarakhand Minister…
Image: The New Indian Express
THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, Feb 7: In connection with an alleged forest scam case connected to former Uttarakhand Minister Harak Singh Rawat, the Enforcement Directorate is reportedly conducting raids at numerous locations in Delhi, Chandigarh, and Uttarakhand, sources stated on Monday.
The 63-year-old Rawat left the BJP prior to the Uttarakhand assembly elections in 2022 and joined the Congress.
Illegal tree cutting in Corbett Tiger Reserve
As the state forest minister for the BJP government, Rawat faced significant allegations about his involvement in illegal tree-cutting and construction in the Pakhro range of Corbett Park under the Tiger Safari Project, along with several of his departmental subordinates.
In its report, the Forest Survey of India (FSI) stated that unauthorized cutting of more than 6,000 trees occurred in the Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR), exceeding the permitted limit of 163 trees for the Pakhru tiger safari.
The state forest department, however, denied the FSI’s assertions and insisted that certain technical issues needed to be fixed before the report could be officially accepted.
Before this incident, properties connected to Rawat had already drawn attention from ED officials. Earlier, the Uttarakhand Vigilance Team had conducted raids on an institute situated in Shankarpur, Dehradun, and a petrol pump in Chhiddarwala, both associated with Rawat.
