Mixed response form environmentalists on shifting of 9 forest offices from Bengaluru

The shifting of nine offices, including that of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest and Managing Director, Karnataka Forest Department Corporation (KFDC) and PCCF Karnataka State Forest Industries Corporation (KSFIC), from Bengaluru to other cities by the State government has evoked a mixed response from the environmentalists and former forest officials.

While the shifting of Additional-PCCF Project Elephant from Bengaluru to Hassan was welcomed by most of the forest department officials as there has been an increase in the number of human-elephant conflicts in the Malnad region and the presence of a senior officer will help in faster decision-making; the decision to shift others met with strong resistance from them. Some even went on to call it a ‘Tughlaq decision’.

PCCF (Wildlife and Head of Forest Forces) Rajiv Ranja̧n informed DH that it was the State government’s decision to shift the ‘offices’ to other district headquarters and he was not consulted in the matter.

The State government, in its order issued on December 31, 2022, decided to shift KFDCI office to Madikeri and KSFIC to Hubballi. APCCF (Evaluation) has been moved to Mysuru, APCCF National Forestry Action Programme and Bamboo Mission (NFAP & BM) to Dharwad along with the office of APCCF Social Forestry and Projects. APCCF (Land records) has been moved to Shivamogga and Legal Cell APCCF will now sit in Chitradurga.

APCCF Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) has been transferred to Ballari.

Sources in the forest department informed DH that this decision was taken after Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had ‘directed’ the officials to ‘decentralise’ the Forest Department during the State Wildlife Board meeting held recently.

Former PCCF B K Singh said the need of the hour is putting more footsoldiers, forest guards, watchers and other lower-level officials on the field instead of shifting senior officials. “The role of senior officials, especially PCCFs and APCCFs is to coordinate with other wings of the department and other departments to resolve the issues,” he said.

He wanted to know what the legal cell head will do in Chitradurga when government advocates and cases are conducted in Bengaluru. The land records' officer needs to sit in Bengaluru and not in Shivamogga to resolve issues with revenue departments and government officials .

“It's a Tughlaq decision, one which has been taken without due deliberations,” he said.

Another former PCCF (Wildlife), who did not wish to be named, said the demand for shifting of senior Indian Forest Service officials to other cities is not new; several forest ministers and the IAS officials have been feeling that the concentration of too many IFS officials in one building is not good, so they have been pushing for ‘moving out the officials’.

“Practically, this shifting of office is not feasible. Most of the files related to the Forest Department are cleared by PCCF (HOFF); unless he/she designates other officials. Shifting of office will not mean decentralisation of power,” he said, adding that soon the decision would be reverted.

The ex-officer said there should be some logic behind the shifting of office that can benefit local administration like the Elephant project to Hassan. CAMPA to Ballari and Legal Cell to Chitradurga makes no sense, he said.

A Belagavi-based environmentalist, who welcomed the decision, said there is a need for more officials with executing power to be shifted to other cities.