Pushed to the wall by the Central officers, the State Forest Service Officers Association has raised the banner of revolt, demanding nothing short of the “parallel service” to Indian Forest Service (IFS).
In a meeting here to deliberate on their systematic disempowerment, the State Forest Service Officers Association (SFSOA) today while highlighting their plight vowed to take forward the fight for their rights, which they have been ripped off over the years.
The meeting recalled that the first state officer Gh. Qadir Naqashbandi was inducted into IFS in the year 1976. “This marks the take-off point for a sustained tirade to shake the state service to shambles,” the meeting said while pointing out that 106 posts have since been caderized in favour of IFS in different ‘IFS cadre reviews’ and many more posts are in offing.
The meeting said the encroachment of State posts and subsequent procrastination in recruitment of State officers was a well-conceived plan of Central government and their “stooges” to avert state-subjects (natives) from exercising their administrative skills at decisive, coveted positions up the hierarchical ladder.
The IFS officers imperceptibly started occupying all important posts adhering to the basic plan of removing state officers from pivotal positions while turning blind eye to the miseries of the Forest department of the State. “The IFS lobby which was strongly backed by central forces left no stone unturned to paralyze the state at all levels of administration, and stalled further cadre reviews of state services in the Forest department, the last of which has taken place in the year 1972.”
Forty-three years have passed since but no review of State service was taken while as five cadre reviews of IFS on regular, sustained basis were affected in which 106 posts where permanently taken from State service. As if this was not enough, stalling of regular recruitment of State officers has left State officers far back in the race to manage decisive positions.
The SFSOA having felt the need to ameliorate and replenish the State service by changing primitive SROs which are detrimental to growth of service at various ranks, found itself at the receiving end when all their well-meaning efforts were thwarted at PCCF (Principal Chief Conservator of Forests) level.
It is astonishing to note that all the moves in the direction of change of service eligibility for Range Officers (Grade-I) despite having been recommended by the Hon’ble Forest Minister was turned down by PCCF AK Singh (IFS). Service eligibility for promotion to ACF for Range Officer Grade-I in wild life Department is five years, in Soil conservation it is three years and in Forest Department is ten years. Although Wildlife Department is sister wing of Forest Department then why this in justice with Range Officer Grade-I of Forest Department.
The PCCF office seems interested in matters pertaining to growth of IFS officers only and suppression of State services.
The Association has completely lost faith in the leadership of PCCF for creating hurdles in the natural growth of the State service.
Even as the Forest department is without Forest Guards, Foresters, Watchers, Malis, Range Officers, ACFs, DCFs, DCFS (sg), but yes, the IFS officers are in abundance. Their current strength is 55 (RR –direct recruits) against a sanctioned quota of only 53!
The policies have not even spared the non guzetted forest officers who suffer permanently on all the fronts be it the pay anomly ,risk allowance and their stalled promotions , which leads them to come on roads and take the fight for to its logical conclusion. It is the same cluster of forest officials who have lost 90 lives while protecting green wealth of the state.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
Now see another travesty of justice -- the ‘induction IFS posts’ (State service officers who are inducted into IFS) have an equal number of 53 posts. Currently out of these 53 posts, 33 are lying vacant, and shall remain permanently vacant till the year 2020 (for until then there are no chances for any state service officer’s induction into IFS). Interestingly, the remaining 18 officers (State officers inducted into IFS) shall also retire in one or two years from now.
This arrangement suits the IFS lobby perfectly as they are enjoying charge of multiple posts and positions and have every reason to mock at the plight of State officers in their closed circles.
The IFS lobby in nexus with the bureaucracy in Civil Secretariat here have stalled the confirmation of all State officers at all levels -- be it Range Officers, ACFs , DCFs.
This is the reason why the State is currently without any DCF from the State service, while 33 posts of ACFs, 112 ROs (KFC background) are lying vacant from the promotional quota despite the fact that the department has eligible officers and accrual of vacancy is also there.
Obviously, the RO Gr-I (Range officer) posts from direct quota cannot be advertised in a situation when efforts for not confirming ROs as ACFs are in full force .This again deprives the State from advertising RO Gr-I posts and thus paves way for IFS to take further lead through delaying the recruitment.
What worries the SFSOA is the vacancy of ‘induction posts’ -- and the 18 occupied currently by the State officers shall also become available in couple of years. So we are face to face with a situation wherein State officers won’t even have a chance to rise to the higher positions in their own department.
The situation mocking at our faces is that no one from the State officers is in a position to be included in induction due to well-engineered non-eligibility.
The SFSOA aspires to bring this situation for debate in public domain and highlight how the promotion-hungry IFS lobby has changed the entire demography of State Forest department by creating four (4) posts of PCCFs, seven (7) Additional PCCfs, 18 CCFs, 36 CFs -- all in IFS cadre against a meager number of 23 DCFs from the State, whose position and number has been made static and stagnant since the year 1972.
Obviously the IFS is not worried about this precarious situation of disturbed and distorted shape of department which has been forced to converge at base and expanded abnormally at top, defying the basic logic, wisdom and rule of pyramidal growth. All this has been done to reap the benefits of growth exclusively for the IFS lobby.
History is witness that these IFS officers ran away during the times of turmoil in J&K to safer destinations and it was only the State officers who volunteered to protect the forests and many achieved martyrdom in this cause. Where did all these IFS officers vanish during that time?
There is unequivocal consensus that it was not the GOD who created this situation for State service but IFS lobby led by PCCFs of times in nexus with IAS lobby in Secretariat have connived craftily to achieve the goal.
The answer to this imbroglio lies in considering parallel State service and de-caderizing the posts for which State officers are not eligible for many years now.
SFSOA President Munshi Iqbal says, since opting for IFS is purely a matter of choice, the State officers of all ranks have, therefore, decided to deposit an affidavit in the Supreme Court of India to exercise their will not to opt for this service.
“In that hypothetical situation, which is now going to become a reality, what shall be the take of State Government… the SFSOA will wait and watch.”