BENGALURU: With many forest department staffers getting infected and dying due to Covid-19, the state forest department has been appealing to the state government to declare their staffers as frontline workers. This will help foresters get vaccinated on a priority basis. The delay in getting them declared as frontline workers is taking a toll on their morale as many have seen their colleagues die in the line of duty and they are unable to get vaccinated on time.
During the second wave, forest staffers have been instructed to protect the forest from encroachments and manage man-animal conflicts among others, said Sanjai Mohan, Karnataka PCCF and Head of Forest Force in a letter to the additional chief secretary (forests). “Frontline forest staffers are working round the clock and have been directed to be extra vigilant as hunting cases tend to increase in such times,” the letter added. He added that they were awaiting confirmation from the the government and that 20 staffers had died so far due to the virus. Later, additional chief secretary (forests), Sandeep Dave and state Forest Minister Aravind Limbavalli also wrote to the state government and to Health Minister K Sudhakar on the issue.
“We were told that the state government was working on including education and forest department officials together and issuing a new order. But they haven’t said when the new order will be issued,” said a senior forest staffer.The delay is taking a toll on the morale of staffers. A staffer from Bengaluru Rural said, “Many of my colleagues tested positive. We are planning to stop going to work due to the lackadaisical attitude of the state government, especially since we are also put on non-Covid duty.”
Similar was the opinion of those working in the wildlife regions of the state including Bandipur and Nagarahole. “We are dealing with poachers and are in places where the district or urban boundaries are not defined. We are unable to get timely help and vaccination is required. So we are thinking of not going to work until we are vaccinated,” said a wildlife staffer from Bandipur, on condition of anonymity.
The Indian Forest Service (IFS) Association, Central unit, has appealed to all state governments in the country to declare forest staffers as frontline workers in the ongoing efforts against Covid. “It has proactively shouldered additional responsibilities of helping forest communities during the pandemic even as continuing with their mandated responsibilities of protecting the country’s biodiversity,” the association said.Dr Saket Badola, IFS, Secretary General, added, “With 25,000 field staffers and 3,000 officers, we hope the governments will take up this matter on a priority basis and immediately grant them the status of frontline workers.”