Staff of Forest Depatment refuse to don khaki

Aman Sood

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Patiala, October 24

Field staff of the Forest Department and its senior officials have locked horns over wearing the khaki uniform on duty. The field officials want an exception and are not ready to don the khaki without a notification from the government.

The department officials had stopped wearing khaki uniforms in the mid-80s when two of their staffers were mistaken for cops and killed by militants during routine patrolling. However, in 2012, the department issued orders for the field staff to wear khaki uniforms on duty.

Last week, during a visit by senior officials from the Punjab Forest Department, the employees decided to discontinue the khaki. Despite a warning by higher-ups of the department, the field staff members did not change their decision and said it made them look similar to the Punjab Police personnel.

The staffers up to the level of ranger, along with several field employees, have refused to comply with their departments’ notification to wear khaki uniforms on duty. They said the government should ensure that every officer wears this uniform. They cannot just arm-twist the field staff. Any action against the staff members for not wearing khaki will not be tolerated.

“We want a written notification which states that forest staff can wear khaki. There is no fixed shade for the uniform yet,” said Punjab Non-Gazetted Forest Officers Union president Gurinderjit Singh Sahota. “Our personnel are not issued any belt numbers, which is a must for all other security forces. Senior officers do not wear uniforms, and they want only field staff to wear khaki uniforms. All this creates confusion,” he added.

Sahota told The Tribune that in 2012, the then-Principal Chief Conservator of Forestry (PCCF) issued a letter directing field staff to wear khaki uniforms. “To this date, there has been no gazette notification or cabinet decision on this. We have no problem wearing khaki on duty, but not without official government orders,” he said. “During official functions, a lot of times the cops on duty do not identify the khaki uniform donned by the forest officials. This becomes embarrassing and is disheartening,” Sahota claimed.

In this regard, Conservator of Forests, South Circle, Ajit Kulkarni, said that forest staff across the country in different states wear khaki uniforms. “The directions about wearing khaki are clear as per the 2012 orders from the department,” he said. “I do not see any problem in wearing your uniform to the field,” he added.

Staff oppose official notification

In 2012, the Forest Department made it compulsory for its staff, up to the level of rangers, to wear khaki in routine and on the field. However, after two incidents where the police on duty questioned their uniform during official functions to be attended by VIPs, the staff decided to oppose the khaki until an official notification was issued.