The government sought a report from PCCF (Principal Chief Conservator of Forest) Mr UK Agarwal sending a letter second time in two months on the issuance of licences to 50 saw mills by the state-level committee (SLC) as he heads the committee also. The letter also states that SLC’s decision is contradictory to Rule 53 (4) e of the Maharashtra Forest Rules (MFR) and the Supreme Court (SC) order in 1997. The government has also filed an affidavit in the apex court on this matter. The report has been elaborately published in TOI.
The report indicated that there were 180 saw mills who had applied for licences but only 50 were granted. In December 2018 meeting of SLC, some senior officials, who were co-opted as members in SLC by the government, pointed out that the SLC decision to issue 50 licences was against apex court order. Learning that the SLC erred, on February 28, 2019 UK Agrawal sought to amend MFR in order to regularize 50 additional band saws but the state government rejected the demand saying the licences were issued illegally and asked to review its decision.
Before Agrawal took charge as PCCF in April 2018, SLC in its meeting held on June 27, 2017, had decided that grant of additional band saws to enhance capacity of existing saw mills shall be considered only after timber availability report is received from the state. This is one of the important conditions in GoI notification of November 11, 2016 (Rule No. 5 of Wood-Based Industries (Establishment & Regulation) Guidelines, 2016. However, the SLC in its meeting held on July 23, 2018, under Agrawal granted licences for additional band saws without waiting for the timber availability reports from Institute of Wood Science and Technology (IWST) and Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE).