M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, June 16: The Jharkhand Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department has shuffled or given additional charges to as many as 17 range officers.
The principal chief conservator of the forest government of Jharkhand has issued an office order dated June 15 in this regard.
A meeting of the top brasses of the state forest, environment and climate change department was held in Ranchi on June 15. It was attended by the principal chief conservator of forest and chief wildlife warden, principal chief conservator of forest cum director wasteland development board and chief conservator of forest personnel gazetted ones wherein it was decided to have range officers in critical forest ranges lying vacant for long.
As against the sanctioned strength of 303 rangers in Jharkhand, only 84 rangers are available and discharging duties.
As the rains have almost arrived and with it, the forest department is to go for the tree plantation, the absence of range officers is feared to tell upon the tree plantation drive.
Sources said the department has thus tried to have a fire fighting measure just to minimise the adverse effects arising out of the huge number of vacant posts of the rangers in the forests of Jharkhand.
According to the sources, the absence of regular rangers gives a hay day to timber mafia, kendu leaf operators, morrum boulder digger, hunters and poachers to disturb and harm the habitat and wildlife in the jungles.
Betla range of the forest has been given a ranger in Shankar Paswan who has been transferred from Gomia. An office order to this effect has been issued by Under Secretary Amar Kumar Singh.
Betla ranger Shankar Paswan will also hold the additional charge of the Chhipadohar east range. Betla range was going without a regular ranger for over last many weeks.
Apart from this, Tarun Kumar Singh, the ranger of Garu west, has been given additional charge of the Chhipadohar west range of the Palamu Tiger Reserve.
Similarly, Arun Kumar, the range officer Banari under the Lohardaga district has been given the additional charge of the Garu east range of the PTR.
Brinda Pandey, ranger of Mahuadanr, has been given the charge of the Bareysanr range.
Sources said the way the PTR has been taken care of by the state forest department, proves that the department has kept in mind the full-blown attention and concern of the Jharkhand High Court for the tiger reserve.
