Pilibhit (UP): Rice miller submits forged DFO NOC to bank for loan limit; FIR sought

A rice miller allegedly submitted a forged “No Objection Certificate” (NOC) of the divisional forest officer (DFO) of Pilibhit Tiger Reserve to a nationalised bank to obtain a loan limit, prompting the DFO to seek registration of an FIR.

DFO Manish Singh wrote to SP Sukirti Madhav after the “fraud” came to light when the bank manager approached his office to verify the authenticity of the NOC.

Singh said the proposed rice mill site falls within the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of the PTR, where industrial units are not permitted under guidelines issued by the Supreme Court and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

According to the DFO, the applicant — Narendra Singh, a farmer from Amritpur Talluke Madhotanda village — submitted the forged NOC while applying for a loan to set up a rice mill on 0.60 ha of land in Arjunpur village under Kalinagar tehsil.

The document carried the DFO’s forged signature, an official letter number, and was shown as issued on Dec 8 last year. Verification of official records confirmed the NOC was fabricated.

Singh also wrote to district magistrate Gyanendra Singh, requesting a review of records to check whether any industrial licences in the ESZ were issued on the basis of similar forged NOCs.

SP Madhav told TOI that the complaint had been forwarded to Puranpur circle officer Dr Prateek Dahiya, and an FIR would be registered within a day or two after a preliminary inquiry.

This article has been republished from The Times of India.