Jaipur: Many wildlife divisions in Rajasthan are struggling with staff shortages that are affecting conservation work and routine field operations, with the state govt reportedly delaying appointments to key posts in the forest department. The growing number of vacant positions in the top hierarchy has created administrative gaps in the effective management of forests and wildlife, with several important divisions and circles functioning without officers in leadership roles.The Chittorgarh Wildlife Division is a case in point,according to sources. It has been functioning without a divisional head for the past nine months, making it the longest-pending vacancy in the state.“Three wildlife sanctuaries — Bassi, Bhensrodgarh, and Sitamata — fall within Chittorgarh division”, a senior forest official elaborated. “Illegal mining and grazing activity in the surrounding areas is widespread, and the absence of a divisional head has weakened ground-level supervision and enforcement”, he added.Chittorgarh division, however, is an exception only in terms of the length of its leadership vacancy.The Udaipur Wildlife Division went without leadership for five months, while the Ramgarh-Vishdhari Tiger Reserve — Rajasthan’s newest tiger habitat — had no officer in charge for three months. Top positions in Bikaner, Bharatpur, and Dungarpur regional forest divisions were similarly vacant for roughly four months, while the Baran division was without leadership for a month.“The post of Jodhpur Regional Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) has been vacant since Sept 30, following the retirement of RK Jain”, sources in the department revealed. “Despite the passage of nearly a month, no one has been assigned additional charge for this key post”, they added.At present, both the Regional and Wildlife CCF posts in Kota are being handled by conservators of forests (CFs), as is the case with the Udaipur CCF post.“For the first time in the department’s history, as many as four or five CCF circles are being run by CF-rank officers instead of regular CCFs”, the source said.Meanwhile, several Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers remain in awaiting posting order (APO) status for months, drawing salaries but without field responsibilities.“The situation is unprecedented”, a senior forest official, who wished not to be named, confirmed. “The matter has been brought to the notice of the appropriate authorities, and new postings are expected to be announced soon”, he said.
Vacancies in leadership roles cripple forest dept, impact field ops | Jaipur News
