ACFs transfers ruffle feathers

Nagpur: Transfer of 39 assistant conservators of forests (ACFs) has ruffled feathers among cadres as deserving officials have been given side postings and wildlife posts have been kept vacant while shifting the incumbents.
On Wednesday, the state government transferred 39 ACFs. Almost 90% of these ACFs are due for promotion as divisional forest officers (DFOs) and are likely to be promoted in three months after which they will again be shifted.
A review of the transfer order found that while ACFs from wildlife areas have been shifted, their replacement has not been named. “The allegations of manipulations in transfers are not true. We transferred seven ACFs from wildlife but posted nine. Secondly, there may be a few cases of ACFs being shifted from the territorial areas to the same wing,” said PCCF (HRM) Shomita Biswas.
Four ACFs — two each from highly sensitive Pench and Melghat tiger reserves — were shifted but their successors were not named. There were some deserving candidates who could have been posted in these tiger reserves, but they have been given static postings at the PCCF office. “This shows how serious the forest department is about wildlife conservation,” said officials.
A section of peeved ACFs said those occupying territorial posts earlier were again given territorial postings. Several ACFs have been posted in the same city, and only their office has changed.
“While some ACFs could manage to get choice postings, others were denied the same privilege. It seems the background of the officials was not cross-checked before transferring them. We worked in Vidarbha for several years and wanted to move to places near our hometown but were denied it,” said a section of aggrieved ACFs.
As per the Supreme Court order, the postings of DFOs need to be done on priority but the order is not being implemented even after two months. Forest sources said, “If these 39 ACFs were to be posted as DFOs, then ACFs transfers would have been held up.”