The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has initiated a preliminary inquiry into alleged irregularities in the tendering process within the Zoo Directorate of West Bengal after receiving specific inputs. The Zoo Directorate is under the jurisdiction of the West Bengal Forest Department, currently led by Jyotipriya Mallick. Mallick is presently in ED custody due to his purported involvement in a multi-crore ration distribution case in the state, stemming from his previous role as the state food & supplies minister, according to an IANS report.
Central agency sleuths have started inquiring about the departed project reports (DPRs) of the Directorate for which tenders were floated earlier, as per IANS. There are accusations that external agencies, responsible for preparing the DPRs, also participated in the tendering process using different identities — a clear violation of prescribed norms.
The report stated that such irregularities occurred by influencing the key figures in the Directorate, and the state forest department was influenced, allegedly engaging in such practices for personal gain.
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A special focus is on an animal rescue centre in the Sundarbans area in the South 24 Parganas district of the central investigation agency sleuths on this count, according to IANS. The ED is also taking note of the complaints lodged by environmental activists. The complaints assert that, in the last couple of years, the state forest department has allowed the unauthorized establishment of resorts on forest lands, and the state forest department has remained silent on the matter.
Besides this, there have been complaints of illegal tree felling and unauthorized permissions for housing projects within buffer zones adjacent to forests over the past couple of years.
Jyotipriya Mallick served as the state food & supplies minister from 2011 until 2021. After the 2021 state Assembly polls, he assumed the role of the state forest minister.