Nainital: Chief conservator of forests and whistleblower officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi has alleged corruption and political interference in forest fire management within the Uttarakhand forest department. In a series of highly confidential letters, he has called for a probe by central agencies, citing a deep-rooted nexus between officials and politicians in handling forest fire operations.
Allegations of Corruption and Interference
Chaturvedi, who also serves as director of the Uttarakhand Forestry Training Academy, urged the principal chief conservator of forests and head of forest force to order a special audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and seek a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry. Reports earlier this month confirmed that he was assigned forest fire nodal work in Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar in early April, aligning with the timeline referenced in his letters.
Sequence of Events
According to the sequence outlined in the letters, Chaturvedi was appointed nodal officer for Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar by an order dated March 31, 2026. He subsequently began scrutinizing expenditure records related to forest fire control from 2015-16 to 2023-24. He alleged that within hours of initiating this scrutiny, he was abruptly removed from those districts and reassigned to Almora. Another order later stripped him of that responsibility as well. He described the change as unprecedented and swift, claiming it was intended to shield irregularities from examination.
Political Pressure and Misuse of Funds
Chaturvedi alleged that the modifications were carried out under pressure from a politician. He stated that public money released during the fire season was vulnerable to misuse. In one letter, he wrote, “It must be strictly ensured that the disaster of forest fires is not turned into an opportunity for illegal money-making by corrupt elements.” He argued that the recurring fire season was being converted into an opportunity for illegal wealth creation.
Demand for Audits
He also sought a mandatory audit of annual property returns of All India Service officers, including IAS, IPS, and IFS officers. He requested that these be matched with bank accounts and income tax returns to examine disproportionate assets. Furthermore, he alleged that several divisional forest officers failed to provide the financial information he had requested, citing what he called extraneous reasons. He said this strengthened the need for a CAG special audit.
Refusal to Continue Assignment
Refusing to continue with the revised assignment, Chaturvedi asked to be relieved of all nodal officer duties. He stated that the repeated changes were targeted and malafide, meant to demoralize officers pursuing transparency. He also wrote that if the political executive had no confidence in him, no sensitive work or investigation should be assigned to him in the future without first taking the political executive into confidence.
Department’s Position
The department’s position is that the changes were administrative adjustments for the 2026 fire season. Chaturvedi has previously acted as a whistleblower in other forest-related irregularity matters in Uttarakhand. The backdrop has become more sensitive because the current fire season has been severe enough to affect tourism in parts of Kumaon, with more than 1,000 forest fire alerts in April.
