COIMBATORE: With only two weeks remaining in financial year 2023-2024, the Tamil Nadu forest department has not disbursed uniform allowance to over 4, 000 personnel ranging from forest watchers to range officers.
According to sources, a forest watcher and forest guard would be given ` 2,650 while a forester and forest range officer would get Rs 2800 to buy khakhi cloth and stitch uniform. The amount would be credited in the bank accounts before November every year. However, it has not been credited as on Tuesday evening.
Except in Dharmapuri and Hosur where around 40 staff had applied for the allowance and were told that it would be disbursed soon, more than 95 per cent of the total strength of 4,222 personnel, staff working across the State including Coimbatore forest division, Nilgiris forest division Chennai, Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram, Madurai etc have not received the allowance.
“There is a high chance of shirts and pants getting torn when we enter the forest for patrolling as they may get caught in thorny bushes,” said a watcher on condition of anonymity. Another forest guard told TNIE that the state government had not even distributed shoes and rain coats for the last two years.
President of Tamil Nadu Forest Staff Association (TFSA) SU Karthikeyan said the government should release the allowance at the earliest and also demanded that the amount be increased.
Karthikeyan told TNIE “It is usual for forest department to increase uniform allowance akin to police uniform allowance. But nothing has been done in the last two years . Currently from a constable to inspector, police personnel get `4,500 as uniform allowance every year. A GO has been issued regarding this, but the forest department personnel have been neglected.”
When contacted, Subrat Mohapatra, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) and Head of Forest Force (HOFF), admitted that uniform allowance has not been released yet, adding he has written to the state government seeking funds.