Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, May 25: Over 534 BSc, MSc and PhD Forestry candidates engaged as Rehbar-e-Janglaat (REJ) in J&K Forest, Ecology and Environment department since 2017 by the previous PDP-BJP regime are facing exploitation and moving from pillar to post for the last several months for their regularisation and resolution of many pending issues.
Sources in the J&K Forest, Ecology and Environment department told the Excelsior that these hapless highly educated youth are getting just a peanut consolidated amount of Rs 5000 per month while they are made to work equivalent to their other permanent counterparts in the department or even more than them.
While permanent employees who are getting fatty salaries, even more than 80,000 per month are ruling the roost in various wings of the Forest department, these temporary employees having higher qualifications are being allegedly facing exploitation at their hands. They are getting no allowances including house rent, medical facilities etc. Even they are denied the genuine leave in case of some emergency at home, the sources added.
Giving more details, the official sources said that these highly educated MSc/ PhD Forestry youth from J&K among whom many were going to be over aged, approached the then Forest Minister Ch Lal Singh and some others in PDP seeking their absorption in the State Forest department and its allied wings. The then PDP-BJP Government approved Rehbar-e-Janglaat Scheme through a Cabinet order in February 2017. Ch Lal Singh, the then Forest Minister had himself distributed 534 orders among the selected youths in State Forest, Ecology and Environment Department. Majority of them were from Kashmir region.
The appointment process throughout the State was completed by October 4, 2017 and total 534 candidates having BSc Forestry, MSc Forestry/Environment, PhD and DDR qualifications were appointed against the posts of Guard. They are being paid just Rs 5000 per month as consolidated salary which is less than REZ, while as they are being made to work ten times more than their wages.
The principle of ‘equal wages for the equal work’ is being violated. Many workers have turned over aged, they have their families as well but they are unable to run their kitchen with this meagre salary. Their parents spent huge money on their degrees like MSc / PhD but many of them even after attaining the age of 44 yrs are forced to work on this peanut salary.
Sources revealed that after facing starvation and their unability to feed families, many youth left the job and are doing their own private works to earn livelihood. Moreover, for the last 2-3 years there was no significant recruitment activity in J&K. At present out of 534, just 330 candidates are left in the Forest, Ecology and Envionment Department. And if the Government paid no heed towards their plight, many more are likely to leave the job, the sources added.
A group of aggrieved candidates who also approached the ‘Excelsior’ , revealed that they approached the higher authorities in the Forest Department and also the previous State Governor but nobody took much pain for their regularisation. They said during February 2020, they met the Lt Governor, G C Murmu and revealed their tale of woe. He assured to sort out their issue. On Feb 27, 2020, the Lt Governor formulated a 5-Member Committee to look into the matter. Not only REJ, but the committee was asked to recommend solution to the issues of Rehbar-e-Khel and Rehbar-e-Zirat candidates.
They said despite COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, most of these employees are performing their job at their respective places. They have been engaged in Territorial Forest wing, Environment and Ecology, Social Forestry, Forest Protection Force and Wildlife Department. No extra allowances are being given to them. They are not covered under any Health Insurance Scheme. They are virtually being considered as ‘orphan babies’ of the J&K Forest department, they maintained.
Principal Chief Conservatorof Forests, J&K, Mohit Gera when contacted said about 530 candidates were engaged during 2017 through a Cabinet order by the previous PDP-BJP Government in J&K Forest department and they are still working in its various wings. Some of them, who got good jobs or due to other reasons, left the job and at present their number is less than 400. Majority of them hailed from Kashmir, he said.
Gera further said that these candidates are being provided Rs 5000 per month as consolidated wages as per Govt order and they will be regularized after 5 years as per order on the pattern of RET/ REZ. These youth have been struggling for their regularization. They submitted representations several times and the same were forwarded to the higher authorities for consideration by him. Now, it is up to the Government to decide their fate but it is also true that many of them are PhD and getting less wages than the REZ candidates, Gera maintained.
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