The state's home minister R R Patil may have opted to be guardian minister of Naxal-affected Gadchiroli district, but you can excuse it if it still feels orphaned in many respects.
Government carved out Gadchiroli Forest Circle to emphasise the importance of the district. But six months on, it has failed to post divisional forest officers (DFOs) to head the circle's three divisions.
Last year, the government did away with South Chandrapur Circle, comprising Sironcha, Bhamragarh, Allapalli and Central Chanda forest divisions. It was was renamed as Gadchiroli Circle by attaching Sironcha, Bhamragarh, Allapalli, Wadsa and Gadchiroli divisions to it. Wadsa and Gadchiroli were earlier part of North Chandrapur Circle.
Gadchiroli Circle was also one of the promises made in 'Vidarbha Package' by chief minister Ashok Chavan in winter session of the legislature at Nagpur. Better forest management is deemed critical to containing the Naxal menace.
Gadchiroli circle thus became the biggest forest circle in the state with over 12,700 sq km forest. This was done to strengthen forest administration and solve tribals' problems in Naxal-hit district. However, the very purpose seems to be defeated as there are no heads in three divisions - Sironcha (2,769 sq km), Bhamragarh (3,644 sq km) and Allapalli (2,488 sq km).
These three divisions generate highest revenue for the department. They produce high quality teak and bamboo and earn around Rs 152 crore annually. The divisions have 148 tendu units that generate roughly Rs 34 crore.
Senior forest officials said the government has been made aware of the problem and that transfer and posting were not in their hands. The posts are vacant after Rishikesh Ranjan (Allapalli), N J Panchal (Bhamragarh) and P Raulkar (Sironcha) were suspended following forest recruitment scam.
Forest Minister Patangrao Kadam on July 19 had posted D R Gujjar at Bhamragarh but it is learnt he is not keen to join at the fag-end of his service. Gujjar has two years before retirement and doesn't want to go to Bhamragarh, sources said.
All the three sensitive divisions are being handled by assistant conservators of forests (ACFs) who are inexperienced and unable to do justice to both charges. Worse in case of Sironcha, where one ACF is under transfer and another is going to retire in October.
Talking to TOI, P R Yeole, conservator of forests (CF), Gadchiroli, admitted that day-to-day administration and protection work was affected in these divisions in the absence of DFOs. "I have already apprised the higher ups about the problem," Yeole said. Kadam was not available for comments.
Government carved out Gadchiroli Forest Circle to emphasise the importance of the district. But six months on, it has failed to post divisional forest officers (DFOs) to head the circle's three divisions.
Last year, the government did away with South Chandrapur Circle, comprising Sironcha, Bhamragarh, Allapalli and Central Chanda forest divisions. It was was renamed as Gadchiroli Circle by attaching Sironcha, Bhamragarh, Allapalli, Wadsa and Gadchiroli divisions to it. Wadsa and Gadchiroli were earlier part of North Chandrapur Circle.
Gadchiroli Circle was also one of the promises made in 'Vidarbha Package' by chief minister Ashok Chavan in winter session of the legislature at Nagpur. Better forest management is deemed critical to containing the Naxal menace.
Gadchiroli circle thus became the biggest forest circle in the state with over 12,700 sq km forest. This was done to strengthen forest administration and solve tribals' problems in Naxal-hit district. However, the very purpose seems to be defeated as there are no heads in three divisions - Sironcha (2,769 sq km), Bhamragarh (3,644 sq km) and Allapalli (2,488 sq km).
These three divisions generate highest revenue for the department. They produce high quality teak and bamboo and earn around Rs 152 crore annually. The divisions have 148 tendu units that generate roughly Rs 34 crore.
Senior forest officials said the government has been made aware of the problem and that transfer and posting were not in their hands. The posts are vacant after Rishikesh Ranjan (Allapalli), N J Panchal (Bhamragarh) and P Raulkar (Sironcha) were suspended following forest recruitment scam.
Forest Minister Patangrao Kadam on July 19 had posted D R Gujjar at Bhamragarh but it is learnt he is not keen to join at the fag-end of his service. Gujjar has two years before retirement and doesn't want to go to Bhamragarh, sources said.
All the three sensitive divisions are being handled by assistant conservators of forests (ACFs) who are inexperienced and unable to do justice to both charges. Worse in case of Sironcha, where one ACF is under transfer and another is going to retire in October.
Talking to TOI, P R Yeole, conservator of forests (CF), Gadchiroli, admitted that day-to-day administration and protection work was affected in these divisions in the absence of DFOs. "I have already apprised the higher ups about the problem," Yeole said. Kadam was not available for comments.
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