COIMBATORE: Forest department staff have urged the state government to sort out the irregularities in salary for the forest guards and forest watchers, along with the provision of a weekly day-off similar to police personnel.
The staff attached to the Tamil Nadu Forest Staff Association (TNFSA's-Coimbatore district branch) conducted its general body meeting on Saturday in the presence of its state president SU Karthikeyan and also passed various resolutions, including demanding the government to appoint additional staff to drive away wild elephants into the forest and provide additional vehicles along with patrol, torch lights, food and incentives, considering the increasing human-elephant conflict.
"Forest guard is equivalent to the post of police head constable. However, they are being paid less than the post of a constable, which is equal to forest watchers. The state government should look into the issue and provide salaries to them as equivalent to the posts of police personnel. This is a pending issue for the three decades," said Karthikeyan.
K Jayachandran, Coimbatore district president of TNFSA, said, "Over hundred staff members are working in seven forest ranges in Coimbatore forest division during night hours. However, they are spending their own money to buy food. The state government should provide food expenses along with incentives to staff on night duty."
"Field-level staff are working under strenuous climatic conditions in the forest. However, the state government has yet to provide jerkins and shoes for them in several districts, including Coimbatore district," said Jayachandran.
The association’s district vice president M Saravanan said the state government should also convert forest guards to beat forest officers, foresters to section forest officers and forest guards to assistant beat forest officers.
The members thanked the state government, chief secretary, additional chief secretary and the principal chief conservator of forests for hiking their uniform allowance of Rs 4,500 and doubling the ex-gratia to the next of kin of foresters who died on duty to Rs 20 lakh.
"We urge the state government to provide government jobs on priority to the kin of forest staff who die on duty, apart from releasing the retirement benefits at the time of the retirement. The government must also allot five percent of posts to the child of forest staff in direct recruitment, similar to the fire and rescue service and police personnel under compassionate grounds," said G Karthikeyan, district secretary of TNFSA.