Uttarakhand assembly elections: Fear of poaching rises as forest staff get angaged in election duties

DEHRADUN: The forest officials are worried about the protection of animals and the forest resources in the forest divisions as the staff as well as officials are being deployed and patrolling vehicles for being taken for election duty. The preparations for the fire season too are going to be affected a great deal.

Principal chief conservator of forests, Rajender Mahajan, has suggested the chief secretary to spare the field staff and rather take up the forest employees doing the administrative works for election duty.

With most of his employees gone for election related work, PK Patro, divisional forest official of Dehradun forest division expressed concern about the animals kept at Dehradun Zoo saying, "I am worried who would feed or take care of the animals in Dehradun Zoo if all the staff is absorbed for election duty. 211 out of 274 personnel of Dehradun FD, leaving the women staff, have already been deployed. It never happened earlier, when almost 100% forest staff is deputed in election works.”

He alleged that in 2011, Election Commission of India issued a guideline on not including the forest division staff/officials in election work. Those in the wildlife sanctuaries and tiger reserve have been extended this discretion long ago.

Patro also indicated as to how the critierion of keeping the payscale as the basis for deployment of the government employees for various important tasks related to election is faulty. "Our old employees of lowest rung, who after long years of services , are geting somewhat good salaries, have been deployed as polling officers -2, though they are almost illiterate," he said.

The poachers are going to take advantage of unmanned forests. Ramesh Chandra, DFO,

Pauri Garhwal

said this adding , "All our vehicles meant for patrolling have been taken for election. The staff and officials including me and conservator too have been deployed on election duty. With the absence of staff and patrolling in the forest areas, poachers are going to take undue advantage of this situation. Poaching is already rife in the state . So I appeal to the higher officials not to engage the forest staff of forest divisions and resources in the election duties."

Rajender Mahajan said that he has talked to CS in this regard and soon he is going to send him the list of the total staff under each forest division explaining how many of them can be engaged in the election duties. "Those who are doing administrative works can be absorbed in the election duty but those working in the field should be spared as we have to protect our forests and wildlife. If the animals are killed during the absence of staff, then the staff would blame election duty for their absence."