KOCHI: A week after three DFO-ranked officers were beaten up at Mankulam in Idukki district, the forest department staff faced another insult on Friday as the Sabarimala executive officer asked a group of 50 beat forest officers to vacate the accommodation immediately as their service was not needed at Sannidhanam.
Adding insult to injury, the order said the officers were deployed at Sabarimala to distribute medicated water (chukkuvellam) to the devotees. As the top brass of the force were offended over the language used in the order, Forest Minister A K Saseendran took up the matter with Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan. The devaswom minister said the issue will be taken seriously.
The forest officers said the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has forgotten the fact that the Sabarimala shrine is located inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve, and the forest department is the custodian of the forest. The beat forest officers are deployed to protect the forest and check forest crime.
“The forest beat officers were deployed at Sabarimala to distribute medicated water to the devotees considering the heavy rush at the hill shrine. They were provided accommodation at Poorna - Pushkala building. However, the building has been constructed under a donor agreement and we have to provide it to the donor when he demands.
The donor has asked to provide the facility to accommodate their guests on January 13 and 14. As the new accommodation suggested by TDB is not acceptable to the officers it is hereby directed that they should vacate the premises today itself. Their service is not needed at Sabarimala now as we have enough staff to distribute medicated water,” said the order dated January 12 issued by the Sabarimala executive officer. Forest department authorities said the alternative accommodation offered by TDB was near the incinerator at Sannidhanam where burning of waste poses a health hazard.
“We have a forest control room at Sabarimala where one ACF, two range officers, four section forest officers and 14 beat forest officers are deployed. Besides 75 beat forest officer trainees are deployed along the trek route, Pulmedu and Karimala route. We are providing food and accommodation to all these staff. The 50-beat forest officers at Sannidhanam and Marakkoottam are provided accommodation by TDB while the food is arranged by the department. Their duty is enforcement and not distribution of medicated water,” said Periyar Tiger Reserve (West) deputy director K V Harikrishnan.
TDB president P S Prasanth said he had not seen the order. “The beat forest officers are deployed at Sabarimala for enforcement but we have used their service to coordinate the volunteers deployed for distribution of medicated water. We had requested them to vacate the Poorna - Pushkala building as the donor had demanded accommodation. There is no need for additional staff to control the rush during Makaravilakku as the district collector has offered to deploy a 100-member team during these days,” he said. The devaswom minister said he would look into the complaint regarding the order issued by the Sabarimala executive officer.