Telangana government yet to decide on arms for Forest staff

The Forest department staff have been demanding arms and ammunition for self-protection since long.

Hyderabad: Forest department personnel are keeping their fingers crossed as the State government is yet to decide on arms and ammunition for the staff, besides setting up forest stations.

The Forest department staff have been demanding arms and ammunition for self-protection since long. The demand escalated after the brutal killing of Chandrugonda Forest Range Officer Ch Srinivas Rao by Gutti Koya tribals in Kothagudem last November.

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This apart, they also wanted setting up of forest stations at the Divisional Level. To this effect, State Forest Service Officers Association (SFSOA) had submitted a representation to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) RM Dobriyal.

Citing several attacks on forest staff, especially frontline personnel, the officials demanded provision of pistols to Forest Range Officers (FRO) rank and above and rifles to field-staff for self-protection.

They also wanted establishment of forest stations at the Division Level with required staff and infrastructure as was being done by the Kerala Forest Department.

Each station should be headed by a FRO rank officer and supported by 18 personnel. To begin with, the stations have to be set up in vulnerable areas of Asifabad, Adilabad, Khammam, Karimnagar and other places, a member of the SFSOA said.

The officials also stressed on the need to allocate more vehicles for effective patrolling in the core areas and amendment of rules to declare offences involving encroachments as non-bailable offence. Field staff, who completed three years tenure, have to be transferred to other areas and in case of vulnerable areas, the period has to be cut down to two years, they said.

PCCF RM Dobriyal said a high-level meeting involving the Police department was conducted on the demands made by the forest staff.

“From our end, we have also submitted a report on the proposals to the State government,” the PCCF said.

The forest officials had to deposit their weapons with the police during the early 1990s in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, following a few incidents of snatching of some weapons by Naxalites.