The subordinate officers of the State Forest Department have decided to go on strike from Thursday in support of their pending demands. As part of the strike, forest guards and range officers of the department across the State have decided to boycott work and also shut the Bijrani zone gate of the Corbett national park .
It is pertinent to mention here that the Uttarakhand Subordinate Forest Officers Union members have for long been demanding redressal of issues pertaining to their pay and their professional progress.
However, they allege that in spite of protesting and raising their demands for years, the senior departmental officers and State Government have remained apathetic to their demands.
According to union member Rl Badoni, the subordinate forest officers have, for many years been demanding redressal of pay anomalies. “We have also been demanding increase in our grade pay.
In addition we also want three assured promotions during our entire period of service and in case there are no posts to be promoted to, we have been demanding the benefit of Assured Career Progress (ACP). However, the senior officers and State Government have remained apathetic to our demands,” he said.
According to the union members there are 3,650 forest guards in the State and these forest guards are on duty 24 hours a day.The forest guards are the backbone of the department as it is they who are most active in the forests to ensure protection of wildlife and the environment.
They complain that once there was just one principal chief conservator of forests in the entire State but now there are four PCCFs. While senior posts are being increased resulting in increased financial burden, the issues of the subordinate staff who work in the field are being ignored.
On Thursday, the forest guards and range officers will boycott work and also shut the Bijrani zone gate of Corbett which was recently reopened to tourists.
Meanwhile, the PCCF Dr RBS Rawat has directed divisional officers to ensure that work boycott by subordinate staff does not negatively affect the department’s duties.