The Indian Forest Service (IFS) cadre vacancies in Uttarakhand are being filled up by members of the the Provincial Forest Service (PFS) which is demoralising the IFS officers and probationers and also affecting the operational efficiency of the State Forest Department.

The department personnel also possess obsolete weapons which should be replaced with better firearms.The Uttarakhand Forest Development Corporation chairman Kunwar Pranav Singh ‘Champion’ said this while addressing the media in Dehradun on Wednesday. Based on complaints made to him by IFS probationers, Singh informed that there are 80 cadre posts in Uttarakhand, but out of the 44 divisional forest officer posts in the State, 30 are occupied by PFS officers.

"A PFS officer can be promoted to IFS cadre after 18 years in service, but here they are being posted earlier on posts meant to be occupied by IFS officers. I have pointed out this anomaly in a letter written to the Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna and sought requisite steps to redress it as this is leading to unrest among the IFS officers.

It has also been seen that in other States, IFS officers of the DFO and above ranks are entitled to use blue beacons atop their official vehicles, but in Uttarakhand this privilege is denied to them even though police and administration officers ranked lower than DFOs sport blue beacons on their vehicles. Considering the nature of risk and their position of service, the IFS officers should also be entitled to blue beacons as in other Indian States," said Singh.

In his letter to the CM, the UFDC chairman has also pointed out that forest services have a versatile work pattern in which the DFOs have to go through forests and tough terrains at odd hours while performing their duties. "Their work conditions are akin to the police department but they are not so well equipped, since they have forest guards who have obsolete .12 bore guns and .315 rifles which prove ineffective during encounters with poachers and other criminals in forests.

As the senior superintendent of police is given a service revolver for discharging duties, the DFOs should also be issued service revolvers," he stressed while seeking necessary action from the CM to raise the morale of the department officers and enhance their efficiency.