Uttarakhand Forest Officer Faces Scrutiny Over Alleged Financial Misconduct

The Uttarakhand government has issued a notice to Forest Conservator Vinay Kumar Bhargava over alleged financial irregularities worth crores, during his time as DFO in Pithoragarh. The inquiry highlights unauthorized constructions and potential violations of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, urging a criminal case and investigation by CBI and ED.

The government of Uttarakhand has launched a formal inquiry into Forest Conservator Vinay Kumar Bhargava, citing serious financial irregularities allegedly committed during his tenure as the divisional forest officer in Pithoragarh. A comprehensive investigation led by senior IFS officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi has revealed potential breaches worth crores of rupees, including unauthorized constructions in the Munsyari range of the forest division.

The inquiry report, exceeding 500 pages and submitted in December 2024 and January 2025, accuses Bhargava of constructing various concrete structures without necessary approvals, violating the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, which mandates Central Government consent for such activities in reserved forests. Furthermore, the report recommends registering a criminal case against Bhargava and calls for investigations by CBI and ED to probe possible money laundering due to the nature of alleged offenses.

Bhargava is also questioned for signing an MoU with an unregistered organization for sharing tourism income and inaccurately reporting maintenance expenditures of fire lines. A show cause notice, dated July 18 and issued by Principal Secretary Forest Ramesh Kumar Sudhanshu, demands explanations from Bhargava within 15 days, warning of subsequent actions if dismissed.

(With inputs from agencies.)