The ways things are in the department of forest it seems the right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing. Higher officials in the department of wildlife have no knowledge about two sensitive cases at Hoshiarpur.

Former DFO, Hoshiarpur, RR Kakkar had claimed to have recovered panther skins and sambar anklars last year from alleged poachers. However, the higher authorities of department of wildlife have no knowledge about the cases.

Sources in the department said the chief wildlife warden had issued show notice to present DFO, Hoshiarpur, as to why details of cases had not been provided to him.

After the notice, forest officials at Hoshiarpur started searching for files pertaining to the said cases. However, till date they have no recovered any record. In addition, forest officials also do not have any knowledge about the recovered panther skins or sambar anklars.

The present DFO, Hoshiarpur, Swaran Singh, when contacted admitted that a show-cause notice had been received from the chief wildlife warden. He said after receiving the notice he tried to search files and material pertaining to the case but failed to locate them. The report regarding it would be sent to the chief wildlife warden.

Panther is protected under schedule-1 of the wildlife protection act and is an endangered species. Anyone found possessing the skin is liable to three years imprisonment. After per the law the DFO after recovering the panther skins should have informed the chief wild ife warden within 24 hours. The recovered skins should also have submitted to higher officials of the department of wildlife so that they could have been sent for examination to appropriate laboratories for assessing their originality. Panther skins, as per the act, are state property and should have been destroyed after completing the formalities in the case. The wildlife higher officials’ information about the priced catch of panther skins is limited to stories carried in newspapers. They have now issued show-cause notice to lower officials on the basis of newspaper reports.

Sources said the panther skins might be lying in police custody. However, until the skins are got verified by higher officials of the wildlife department from appropriate institute or laboratory, it would be difficult to establish charges of poaching against the accused.