Punjab wildlife department gets regular force

The Punjab Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries Department has regularised foresters, forest guards and wildlife game watchers and given them a regular force status.

A formal notification in this regard has been issued. A regular task force has also been set up to implement the decision. Senior Officer Badar Munir has been appointed as the chairman of the task force. This task force will prepare TORs for the conversion of foresters, forest guards, wildlife watchers, head watchers into the regular force. This notification will formally be implemented after the task force’s report.

Forest Secretary Shahid Zaman said there were serious difficulties in protecting forests, illegal logging, theft, and illegal wildlife hunting. The hunting and timber mafia used to torture foresters and wildlife watchers, turning them into a force will entitle them to official weapons, walkie-talkies, government motorbikes”.

He said that new recruitments will be made on the vacant seats and closed-circuit cameras will be installed at important places for the protection of timber theft, logging and wildlife in forests. The scale of all foresters, forest guards, wildlife watchers, head watchers will be upgraded. This process will be completed by March 2022, he said.

The decision has sent a wave of jubilation among the employees of the forest, wildlife and fisheries department

Published in The Express Tribune, January 10, 2022.