Owing to strike of the forest guards, the Uttarakhand forest department has decided to recruit home guards, PRD Jawans and ex-servicemen for firefighting in the forest of the hill state.
The Uttarakhand forest department has decided to deal the agitation of the forest guard and forester strongly by passing a strict order.
The departmental order clearly asks for hiring alternative staff, owing to the forest fire season. Over 3000 forest guards have started indefinite strike.
The forest guards began an indefinite strike in Uttarakhand from Tuesday. The protestors are agitated over the decision of the Uttarakhand government to recruit 33 % forest guards through direct recruitment.
Uttarakhand’s Head of Forest Forces (HoFF) Jayraj passed a departmental order in Dehradun on Wednesday giving clear instruction of ‘no work, no pay’ to the agitating staff.
The order clearly says, “Direct recruitment of forest guard is of vital importance to the department. Besides this minimum service for getting promotion is a general eligibility in any department.”
Forest fire season annually starts in Uttarakhand from February. Presently many forest areas remain affected by forest fire and the strikes of forest guard have created deep trouble for the department.
Uttarakhand witnessed widespread forest fire two year back; by registering a total of 1,797 incidents the forest fire had affected over 3,950 hecters of forest area in 2016.
In a move to handle forest fire incidents, the department has asked for recruiting home guards, PRD Jawans and ex-servicemen and provide them short course on fire fighting.
The Uttarakhand forest department has also asked for maintaining database of protesting forest guards and also to make video films of their agitation.
The Uttarakhand cabinet recently approved making intermediate as education qualification for applying for guards and foresters posts.
The direct recruitment, academic eligibility and other change in serve rules provoked the forest guards and foresters to launch an agitation.