New Delhi: The government will take a decision "within a week" on the Central Vigilance Commission`s advise to launch a CBI probe against politicians and bureaucrats in Haryana, allegedly involved in a multi-crore forest scam.
The matter is now with Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan who sought details from officials last week about the communication from CVC and its advice to the ministry to ask the Haryana government to file an FIR after which the case can be transferred to the CBI, sources said. "A decision will be taken within a week. It is under process. Officials have put their views before the minister. It is the minister who has to take a final call," a source said.
In response to CVC`s query following a request by the Environment Ministry, the CBI had said the scam could be looked into as the investigative agency found the charges "worthy" of an independent probe.
The ministry had referred the matter to CVC after an in-house inquiry found merit in allegations levelled by Indian Forest Service officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi that there was corruption in the setting up of a herbal park on the private land of a legislator under pressure from a state Cabinet minister. He also alleged financial irregularities like siphoning of funds to the tune of crores of rupees in plantation at the park in 2007 and 2008.
The Haryana cadre IFS officer was "frequently transferred and suspended for exposing scam" and had complained of harassment to President Pratibha Patil, who referred it to the Cabinet Secretariat.
Acting on the directions of the Cabinet Secretariat, the Environment Ministry in 2010 constituted a two-member panel headed by IG (forests) A K Srivastava which confirmed harassment of Chaturvedi and recommended quashing of the charge sheet and referring the matter immediately to the CBI for an impartial investigation.
The chargesheet was quashed by the President on January 19.
PTI