ROURKELA: The premature transfer of two Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs) has opened a can of worms. It is being alleged that a local minister pressed for the transfer of Rourkela DFO Atish Behera. A copy of the minister’s letter sent to his Cabinet colleague Debi Prasad Mishra in September 2011 is available with this paper. The minister had strongly recommended shifting of Behera attributing charges of irregularities against him. However, there was no specific mention of any misdemeanour.Behera who took on the timber mafia challenged the transfer order in the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) which stayed it saying it was convinced of the invalid grounds.Departmental sources said after joining office in July 2010, Behera cracked down on timber smugglers leading to registration of over 3,000 cases and seizures of property worth more than Rs 55 lakh. Also, the smuggling networks were virtually dismantled in the vulnerable Bisra block and 13 illegal saw mills sealed. Behera declined comment on the issue but confirmed that the CAT had stayed his transfer. Things got murkier when Bonai DFO AK Mishra also received premature transfer orders even as the Forest Department was busy tightening the noose around mineral thieves. Mining industry and forest sources said Mishra might have been transferred to ‘appease’ the mining lobby. The duo would leave on receipt of orders from the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests.
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