Shimla, April 19 -- Himachal Pradesh revenue minister on Saturday ordered fresh inquiry into the charges of illegal money collection linked to eco-tourism in the Kotgarh forest range after an internal inquiry cleared the field staff, senior officials of all charges. The inquiry, conducted under the direction of the divisional forest officer (DFO), Kotgarh-who is himself named in the complaint-concluded that funds collected from eco-tourism activities in the Kotgarh forest range were "duly scrutinised and found to be in order," with no evidence of misappropriation. "If an accused officer was involved in the inquiry process, it would be against principles of natural justice. The matter would be examined and appropriate action ensured," said Negi while talking to media. He informed that he has ordered the additional chief secretary (Forest and Home) KK Pant to conduct a fresh inquiry into the matter. The matter stems from a complaint regarding deposition of an amount Rs.11.51 lakh collected over the past three financial years (2023-26), deposited in an official bank account, and transferred to the Circle Level Eco-Tourism Management Society (CLEMTS), Rampur. A local had on March 31 had lodged a complaint raising questions about the legitimacy of the collections in the name of eco-development committee and the entities in whose names the funds were raised. A police probe was initiated and a General Diary (GD) entry at Kumarsain police station recorded that "illegal money collection was carried out in the name of eco-development committee Kandyali-Ekantbari and a circle-level eco-tourism society," supported by receipts and digital communication records. The department maintained that a nominal entry fee of Rs.50 per person was levied to regulate tourist inflow in compliance with directions of the Himachal Pradesh high court. The complainant has alleged that no such committee or society was officially registered. The departmental inquiry, however, termed the use of receipt books of the eco development Committee Kandayali an "inadvertent error" during the period when its registration was under process. The police had referred the matter to the state vigilance and ACB) and recorded allegations of threats against complainant. htc...