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Forest officials threaten stir

BHUBANESWAR: Orissa Forest Rangers Association (OFRA) and Orissa Non-Gazetted Forest Service Association (ONGFSA) have again raised security concerns associated with their duty after timber mafia allegedly tried to eliminate one ranger and a forest guard recently here.

Upset over “laid-back” response of higher bosses to address their concerns, forest rangers threatened resorting to agitation if a comprehensive reform was not brought in their services and benefits provided to them.

“Mafias tried to kill one forest guard Prafulla Mohapatra while he was trying to stop timber loaded truck near Bhubaneswar. While he was being taken to hospital, the timber smugglers again attacked forest ranger Pranab Mohanty in an organised manner. Though two cases were lodged in this connection, police have not been able to arrest anybody,” OFRA General Secretary Dillip Singh said.

Alleging that State Government was adopting step-motherly attitudes towards field level forest officials, Mr. Singh when a police person was killed by naxalites, he was given Rs. 10 lakh as compensation but two forest guards, who were killed by same left wing extremists, had been awarded compensation of Rs. 2 lakh.

OFRA has listed out a detailed list of recent attacks on field level forest officials.

“We have been made scapegoats. Forest officials without arms have been asked to keep watch over disturbance and smuggling in over 25 square kilometer of forest, which is too difficult task,” Mr. Singh said.

All field level forest employees should be covered under Rs. 2 lakh health insurance and Rs. 10 lakh of life insurance immediately, ONGFSA General Secretary J.B. Patnaik demanded.

Both the associations urged the State Government to provide arms and ammunition and vehicles to carry out patrolling in forest effectively.

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