Indian foresters have been given the short shrift inthe award of consultancy contracts worth Rs 1,2(Xicrore for World Bank (WB)-aided forestry projects inthe states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and KeralaThe contracts have instead been given to the Finlandbased firm, Jako Poyray. While the firm will hedirectly involved with the projets in Uttar Pradeshand Maharashtra, its New Zealand-based subsidian,Amzdec, will be the executing agent' in Kerala, wit .hhelp from the Delhi-based Tata Energy ResearchInstitute.
K N Venkataraman, in charge of consultancyprojects at the World Bank, says, "There is no ruleunder our consultancy guidelines that contracts should beawarded only to the localfirnis. It is only on the basis ofthe recommended list madeby the borrower that the finalselection is made." The Bankis sceptical about Indianexperts. "Let them first convince us that they can doit," says Venkataraman. WB sources admit that duringappraisal meetings the Bank has repeatedly indicatedits preference for international consultants.
The ministry of environment and forests (NIEFhas, on its part, categorically denied influencing thedecision. Says A K Mukherji, the former inspectorgeneral of forests, during'whose tenure this deal wasfinalised, "Once the shortlisted the prospectiveconsultants, it was upto the World Bank to make thechoice."