Nagpur: Even though the Forest Department in Maharashtra was all geared up to conduct Phase-I Exercise under All India Tiger Census-2022 from Tuesday, the Forest Guards and Foresters have said ‘no’ to its conduct. So, the entire exercise is in a limbo for now.
The Phase-I Exercise of All India Tiger Census-2022 was to be conducted between November 1 and November 6 in Maharashtra. However, Maharashtra Rajya Vanrakshak va Padonnat Vanpal Sanghatana and Maharashtra Rajya Vanmajoor, Van Karmachari va Vankehstriya Karmachari Sanghatana representing the Forest Guards, Foresters and field staff of Forest Department objected to it.
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Saturday 22 Feb. 2025
According to Ajay Patil, Central President of the organisations, conducting the exercise now poses a risk to life of the field staff. “Not long ago, in Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, a Forest Guard named Swati Dhumne was killed by a tigress while she was drawing a transact line. For Phase-I Exercise of the tiger census, field staff have to move into the tiger reserve concerned before 4 am or 5 am and then walk on the transact line up to 9 am. They do not have any security cover,” Patil told a local English daily.
Patil and Madhav Manmode, Working President of the organisations of the field staff, pointed this out in a letter submitted to Maheep Gupta, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), a few days ago. According to Patil, the Forest Department administration had pointed out some time ago that information collected was accurate in 12 Forest Circles and was incorrect in 20 Forest Circles in Maharashtra. Among the three major shortcomings mentioned in that letter were failure of field staff in walking on transact line and collecting signs of wild animals’ presence including scat, recording footprints, and human interference.
“At present, terrain in many forest areas is muddy or marshy. There is growth of grass everywhere. In such a situation, it is difficult to draw a straight transact line, clean it, and record the signs of presence of wild animals, apart from recording human interference in forest areas etc. Further, given the recent incidents of attacks by wild animals, there is risk to life of field staff. Either the officers should take responsibility for the safety of the field staff, or they should postpone the census exercise to January,” demanded Patil.
After Patil and Manmode raised the demand to suspend the census exercise, R M Naikde, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife), East, issued a letter on Monday to all the Deputy Conservator of Forests and other officers asking them to consider the local conditions and take decision appropriately.
In some Forest Circles like Thane (Territorial) etc the officers there had deferred the exercise. Patil said that despite pointing out the risks involved, if the department left the decision to ‘local level’ in Eastern part of Maharashtra, the field staff would not participate in the census exercise starting November 1 (Tuesday).
