Deputation of IFS officers hits functioning of Forest dept in Karnataka

Deputation of Indian Forest Service (IFS) officials to various departments, at a time when the Forest Department is facing a shortage of hands, is adversely impacting its functioning.

In a written reply to the Assembly, during the recently concluded session, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who also holds the Forest portfolio, said that there were more than 49 posts vacant in the department.

However, a closer look at the Niyukthi Karnataka, the official portal of the Department of Personnel & Administrative Reforms (DPAR) shows that there are 69 posts vacant for senior officials. Of the 164 sanctioned IFS posts in Karnataka, only 95 officials are serving and among the serving cadre, at least 11 are deputed in various other departments including, Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Rural Energy & Development, Mission Director, Israel technology based integrated farming mission (ITBIF Mission), Karnataka Cashew Development Corporation Ltd, Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority, and registrars at Karnatak University, Dharwad, and Karnataka Veterinary Animal and Fisheries Sciences University, Bidar.

Senior officials in the forest department informed DH that the majority of the vacant posts are at the vigilance and chief conservator of forest (CCF) level. This apart, the government has also conceded that the department has not filled the posts of 2,526 lower-level foresters, including deputy range forest officers and guards. Shortage of staff is resulting in the department being unable to mitigate human-animal conflict, forest offences, put up case files in court and prevent fire incidents.

"As few of the officials do not wish to move out of Bengaluru, they seek deputation to other departments. There are a few IFS officials who have been deputed to other departments since 2011 and have not returned to the 'mother department'," said a senior forest officer, who did not wish to be named.

The high number of vacancies at the top level is also the result of delays in promotion. Several eligible officials have not been promoted to the next level for the last 12-14 years, said the officer.

Wildlife activists said the decision of the government to depute IFS officials to other departments defies all logic. "When the government itself is conceding that there is a large number of vacancies in the forest department then what is the point in sending IFS officers to other departments," the activists question.

Forest, Ecology and Environment Department Additional Chief Secretary Jawaid Akhtar acknowledged the high number of vacancies in the forest department and said one of the reasons for this is irregular recruitment at the national level over the years and also cadre litigation.

He also said that inter-department deputation is normal in Indian Administrative Services and Forest Department has deputed permissible levels of officials to others.