Forest Minister B. Eshwar Khandre has announced that the government will constitute an experts’ committee to examine the demand of protesting students from forestry colleges that a degree in forestry sciences should be prescribed as the minimum qualification for filling up posts of Assistant Conservator of Forests, Range Forest Office and Assistant Range Forest Officer.
The Minister’s announcement comes in response to the indefinite protest being staged at Freedom Park in Bengaluru by about 700 students from three forestry colleges in Ponnampet, Sirsi and Iruvakki since Monday in support of their demands.
In a reference to the recommendation by the Administrative Reforms Commission led by T.M. Vijay Bhaskar that had recommended that the posts of ARFOs should be filled up through promotions to forest guards rather than fresh recruitments, he said there was a need to re-examine the recommendations. Also, the government had to ensure that graduates from other science streams were not affected while taking any decision in this regard, the Minister stated in a release.
“In this context, an experts committee will be constituted to examine all the issues. An appropriate decision will be made in consultation with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah after getting the report from the proposed experts’ committee,” the Minister said.
He recalled that he had held consultations with a delegation of forestry colleges’ students who had come to his office along with Labour Minister Santhosh Lad on February 15 and assured them of examining their demands.
