Guwahati: Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve in Assam is known for its stunning biodiversity and rich wildlife but it now faces a significant challenge as nearly half of the forest force’s posts remained vacant.
The acute shortage of manpower led to concerns over the security of the UNESCO natural world heritage site.
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The situation was further exacerbated by the plight of underpaid home guards who had not received their revised remuneration despite a salary hike by the Assam government last year.
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Environmental activist, Rohit Choudhury, brought these alarming issues to the forefront, citing communication between the field director of Manas Tiger Reserve and senior officials of the state forest department.
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In a letter addressed to Union Forest Minister Bhupender Yadav, Choudhury highlighted the critical shortage of staff, with a significant 64.2% vacancy in the posts of forest guards.
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Out of the sanctioned strength of 235, a concerning 151 positions remained unfilled. The situation was equally concerning for foresters, as 160 positions out of 294 remained vacant.
The impact of this manpower crisis reverberated throughout the reserve, leading to the postponement of the translocation of rhinos, which had been previously approved during the 12th SBWL meeting.
The compromised security environment posed a grave threat to the safety of wildlife and their habitats.
Incidents of elephant poaching at Panbari and the recent discovery of a decomposed rhino skeleton without its horn underscored the urgency of the situation.
It may be mentioned that the remuneration of forest guards was hiked on October 19, 2022, from Rs 300 per day to Rs 767 per day.
However, this has not exactly been implemented.